
Glass 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



SKETCHES 



OF 



BOSTON, 



PAST AND PRESENT, 



AND 



OF SOME FEW PLACES IX 



ITS VICINITY. 






■■a 



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" Honor to ihe Past, Oratitude for the Present, and Fidelity '.o thefHitur* 



?.J!^itl) one tjunUretr $? STtoentw lEnflrabfnQs. 

BOSTON: 
PHILLIPS, SAMPSON, AND COMPANY. 

CROSBY AND NICHOLS. 

185 1. 



f 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851, by 
J. SMITH ROMANS, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of 

Massachusetts. 



CAMBRIDGE: 

STEREOTVFED AND PRINTED BY 
METCALP AND COMPANY. 

PRINTERS TO THE UNIVERSITY. 



.-^r^. 



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I 





\ 
TO 






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QUINC Y, 

A 


LL. 


D. 


RIPE SCHOLAR, 








AN 






ACCOMPLISHED CIVILIAN 


> 






AND THE 






PROJECTOR OF 


NUMEROUS PUBUC WORKS, 




T H I 


S VOLUME 

IS 






R£SPECTFULLY DEDICATED 








BY 






. A 


NATIVE OF 








BOSTON. 


■ 





PREFACE. 



The present volume is not intended as a formal history of the metropo- 
lis of New England, nor as a complete index to the many public institutions 
for which it is so famous. Our object has been to furnish a mere outline 
of the early history of the city, with notices of some prominent events : 
adding an account of some few institutions that are particularly deserving 
the attention of citizens and strangers. 

The Appendix will be found to contain much information relating to 
towns in the vicinity. For that portion which describes the beautiful 
"Forest Hills Cemetery," we are indebted to the late General H. A. S. 
Dearborn, who little thought, when he was preparing the sketch in the 
month of May last, that he would so shortly 

" Rest his head upon tfie lap of earth." 
He died July 29th, 1851, some few days before this volume could be com- 
pleted for publication. 

The compiler takes occasion to express his acknowledgments to Dr. 
S. G. Howe, of Boston, and to Professors Bond, Horsford, and Francis, of 
Harvard University, and to the Rev. J. B. Felt, of the Massachusetts 
Historical Society, for copious materials furnished by them for this 
work. 

Boston, September, 1851. 



SKETCHES OF BOSTON, 

PAST AND PRESENT. 



CONTENTS. 

Page 

Boston in the Times of the Pilgrims, 1 

Prominent Incidents in the History of Boston, 27 

The Churches of Boston, 62 

The Bridges and Ferries of Boston, 130 

Faneuil Hall, 137 

Faneuil Hall Market, 138 

Grand Junction Railroad, 140 

Asylum and Farm School 142 

The Islands in Boston Harbor, 143 

Boston in Districts, 146 

East Boston, 148 

The Theatres, 151 

Cochituate Water- Works, 153 

The New City Jail, 160 

The Eye and Ear Infirmary 162 

The Boston Athenaeum 163 

The New CustomHouse, 166 

The CIub-House, 168 

The Boston Society of Natural History, 168 

The New Court-House, 171 

The New Almshouse, 172 

The State's Prison, 176 

Massachusetts General Hospital, 180 

The McLean Asylum for the Insane, 183 

The State- House, 185 

Massachusetts Historical Society, 188 

Provident Association for Savings, 191 

The Banks in Boston, 192 

Hancock House, 1 93 



VI CONTENTS. 



Boston Common, 1^5 

Perkins Institution for the Blind, 193 

The Public Schools of Boston, 203 

History of the Public Schools, 233 

Conclusion, 245 



PART SECOND. 

THE VICINITY OF BOSTON. 

Page 

I. ROXBURY, 1 

II. Lynn, 10 

III. Watertown, 13 

IV. Charlestown, 16 

V. Lowell, 22 

VI. Brookline, 26 

VII. Cambridge, , 23 

Harvard College, 31 

Faculties of Harvard College, 44 

The Medical School, 45 

The Botanic Garden, 50 

Dane Law School, 53 

The Theological School, 58 

The Observatory, 61 

Lawrence Scientific School, 65 

Library of the University, '^l 

Christ Church, 90 

Washington's Head-Quarters, 94 

TheKiedesel House, 96 

Mount Auburn, 103 

Fresh Pond, 109 

VIII. Waltham, Ill 



SKETCHES OF BOSTON, 

PAST AND PRESENT. 



LIST OF ENGRAVINGS. 



Page 
State Street, Frontispiece. 

Trimoualain, 1. 

Old House in Ann Street, 40. 

CHORCHES. 

Baldwin Place Baptist Church,. 81 . 

Bethel for Seamen, 103., 

Bowdoin Square Church 123. 

Bowdoin Street Church, 101 . 

Bulfinch Street Church, 97., 

Cathedral of the Holy Cross,. . . 83. . 

Central Congregational Church, 111.. 

Chardon Street Chapel 118, 

Charles Street Baptist Church,. 89. 

Christ Church 76. 

Church in Brattle Square, 73. 

Church of the Advent, 99. 

Essex Street Church, 95. 

Federal Street Church 77. 

Fifth Universalist Church, 112. 

First Baptist Church, 69. 

First Christian Church, 87. 

First Congregational Church.. . 67. 

First Independent Baptist Ch., 88. 

First Methodist Church 129. 

First Universalist Church, 82. 



Page 
Fourth Methodist Ep. Church, 119 

Freewill Baptist Church, 84 

.Friends' Meeting- House, 72 

.Grace Church, 109 

. Harvard Street Church, 103 

Hawes Place Church, 91 

Hollis Street Church, 78 

Mariners' Church, 107 

Maverick Church, 80 

New Brick, or Second Church, 68 

New Jerusalem Church, 94 

New North Church, 74 

New South Church, 75 

Old South Church, 70 

Park Street Church, 90 

Phillips Church 93 

Pine Street Church 104 

.Rowe Street Baptist Church,.. 122 

, Salem Street Church, 105 

Second Methodist Church,.... 65 
.Second Universalist Church,. . . 93 

■ South Baptist Church 114 

.South Boston Meth. Church,.. 66 
South Boston Universalist Ch., 110 
.South Congregational Church,. 106 
.St. Augustine's Church 113 



via 



LIST OF ENGRAVINGS. 



Page 

St. Mary's Church, 116., 

Si. Malihew's Church, 92. , 

St. Patrick's Church, 117., 

St. Paul's Church, 96., 

St. Vincent de Paul's Church,.. 102., 

Slone Chapel, 71 . . 

Suffolk Street Chapel, 126. 

Third Methodist Church, 115., 

Thirieeiilh Congregational Ch.,. 120. 

Trinity Church, 79. 

Tuckerman Cliapel, 125. 

Twelfth Congregational Church, 100. 

Warren Street Chapel, 124. 

West Church, 127., 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

The National Theatre, 151 . 

Cochiluate Water-Fountain,.. . . 153. 

The New City Jail, 160. 

Boston Athenaeum, 163. 

" " interior view, 164. 

New Custom-House, 166. 

New Court-House, 171 . 

Almshouse, Deer Island, 173. 

Ground Plan of Almshouse, 174. 

Massachusetts State Prison, .... 176. 
Massachusetts Gen. Hospital,... 180. 

The State-House, 186. 

Statue of Washington, 187. 

Carver Sword, 189. 

Speaker's Desk, 1S9. 

Philip's Samp-pan, 190. 

Provident Savings Institution,.. 191. 

Bank of Commerce, 192. 

Hancock House, 193. 

Asylum forthe Blind, 200. 

• 

PUBLIC SCHOOL HOUSES. 

Latin Scliool, Bedford Street,... 209. 

Eliot School, 210. 

Adams School, 211. 

Franklin School, 212. 

May hew School, 213. 



Page 

Hawes School, 214 

Smiths School, 21.5 

Boylston School 216 

Bowdoin School, 217 

English High School, 218 

Hancock School, 219 

Wells School, 220 

Johnson School, 221 

Winlhrop School, 222 

,Lyman School, 223 

.Endicott School, 224 

.Mather School, 225 

, Brimmer School, 226 

Phillips School, 2'4:7 

Otis School, 22s 

• Dwight School, 22^ 

Quincy School, 230 

Primary Schools, 231 

. Ingraham School, 232 

VICINITY OF BOSTON. 

.Grove Hall, Roxbury, 2 

.Taft's Hotel, 3 

.Forest Hills Cemetery, 8 

.Railroad Depot, Lynn, 10 

,Lynn High School, 11 

■ Lynn Mechanics' Bank, 12 

.View of Harvard College, 31 

.Dane Law School, 54 

.Cambridge Observatory, 61 

.The Telescope, 63 

.Lawrence Scientific School,.... 65 

.Gore Hall, 75 

.ChristChurch 90 

.Washington's Head-Quarters,.. 94 

.Riedesel House, 96 

.Entrance to Mount Auburn, ... 103 
.Tomb of Spurzheim, 107 

.ChristChurch, Waltham, 112 



BOSTON 



SH AAVMUT — TRIMOUNTAIN. 



ti<m^'^& 







[A brief sketch of the leading events in the early history of Boston had been pre- 
piired for this little volume: but the followinor remarks were finally consjdeied 
more appropiinte, to precede views of Boston as it is in 1^51. They form part of 
" An address to the citizens of Boston, on the 17th of Septemb.;r, 183U, the close of 
•he second century from the first settlement of the city." By Josiah duincy, LL. D., 
then President of Harvard University.] 

Cities and empires, not leas than individuals, are chiefly indebted for 
their fortunes to circumstances and influences independent of the labors 
and wisdom of the passing generation. Is our lot cast in a happy soil, be- 
neath a favored sky, aitd under the shelter of free institutions ? How few 
of all these blessings do we owe to our own power, or our own prudence ! 
How few, on which we cannot discern the impress of long past genera- 
tions ! 

It is natural that reflections of this kind should awaken curiosity con- 
cerning the men of past ages. It is suitable, and characteristic of noble 
natures, to love to trace in venerated institutions the evidences of ances- 
tral worth and wisdom ; and to cherish that mingled sentiment of awe and 
admiration which takes jwssession of the soul in the presence of ancient, 
deep-laid, and masay monuments of intellectual and moral pwwer. 

Standing, after the lapse of two centuries, on the very spot selected for 
us by our fathers, and surrounded by social, moral, and religious blessings 
greater than paternal love, in its fontlest visions, ever dared to fancy, we 
naturally turn our eyes backward, on the descending current of years ; 
seeking the causes of that prosperity which has given this city so distin- 
Tuished a name and rank among similar associations of men. 



BOSTON. 



Happily its fouadatioris were not laid in dark ages, nor is its origin to be 
sought among loose and obscure traditions. Tiie age of our early an- 
cestors was. in many respects, eminent for learning and civilization. 
Our ancestors themselves were deeply versed in the knowledge and attain 
merits of their period. Not only their motives and acts appear in the gen- 
eral histories of their time, but they are unfolded in their own writings, 
with a simplicity and boldness, at once commanding admiration and noi 
permitting mistake. If this condition of things restrict the imagination 
in iis natural tendency to exaggerate, it assists the judgment rightly to an- 
alyze, and justly to appreciate. If it deny the power, enjoyed by ancieiu 
cities and states, to elevate our ancestors above the condition of humanity, 
it confers a much more precious privilege, that of estimating by unequiv- 
ocal standards the intellectual and moral greatness of the early, interven- 
ing, and passing periods ; and thus of judging concerning comparative at- 
tainment and progress in those qualities which constitute the dignity 
of our species. 

Instead of looking back, as antiquity was accustomed to do, on fabling 
legends of giants and heroes, — of men exceeding in size, in strength, and 
in labor, all experience and history, and, consequently, being obliged to 
contemplate the races of men dwindling with time, and growing less 
amid increasing stimulants and advantages ; we are thus enabled to view 
things in lights more conformed to the natural suggestions of reason, and 
actual results of observation ; — to witness improvement in its slow but 
sure progress; in a general advance, constant and unquestionable; — to 
pay due honors to the greatness and virtues of our early ancestors, and be, 
at the same time, just to the not inferior greatness and virtues of succeed- 
ing generations of men, their descendenls and our progenitors. 

Thus we substantiate the cheering conviction, that the virtues of an- 
cient times have not been lost, or debased, in the course of their descent, 
but, in many respects, have been refined and elevated ; and so, standing 
faithful to the generations which are past, and fearless in the presence of 
the generations to come, we accumulate on our own times the responsibil- 
ity that an inheritance, which has descended to us enlarged and improved, 
shall not be transmitted by us diminished or deteriorated. 

As our thoughts course along the events of past times, from the hour of 
the first settlement of Boston to that in which we are now assembled, 
they trace the strong features of its character, indelibly impressed upon 
its acts and in its history ; — clear conceptions of duty ; bold vindications 
of right; readiness to incur dangers and meet sacrifices, in the mainten- 
ance of liberty, ci-vil and religious. Early selected as the place of the 
chief settlement of New England, it has, through every subsequent peri, 
od, maintained its relative ascendancy. In the arts of peace and in the 
energies of war, in the virtues of prosperity and adversity, in wisdom to 
plan and vigor to execute, in extensiveness of enterprise, success in accu- 



EARLY HISTORY. 



niulaling wealth, and liberality in its distribution, its inhabitanta, if not 
unrivalled, have not been surpassed, by any similar society of men. 
Through good report and evil report, its influence has, at all times, been so 
distinctly seen and acknowledged in events, and been so decisive on the 
destinies of the region of which it was the head, that the inhabitants of 
the adjoining colonies of a foreign nation early gave the name of this 
place to the whole country ; and at this day, among their descendents, the 
people of the whole United States are distinguished by the name of '• Bos- 
tonians." 

Amidst perils and obstnictions, on the bleak side of the mountain on 
which it was first cast, the seedling oak, self-rooted, shot upward with a 
determined vigor. Now slighted and now assailed; amidst alternating 
sunshine and storm ; with the axe of a native foe at its root, and the light- 
ning of a foreign power, at times, scathing its top, or withering its 
branches, it grew, it flourished, it stands, — may it for ever stand ! — the 
honor of the field. 

Our ancestors have left no Corinthian temples on our hills, no Gothic ca- 
thedrals on our plains, no proud pyramid, no storied obelisk, in our cities. 
But mind is there. Sagacious enterprise is there. An active, vigorous, 
intelligent, moral population throng our cities, and predominate in our 
fields ; men patient of labor, submissive to law, respectful to authority, 
regardful of right, faithful to liberty. These are the monuments of our 
ancestors. They stand immutable and immortal, in the social, moral, and 
intellectual condition of their descendants. They exist in the spirit 
which their precepts instilled, and their example implanted. Let no man 
think that to analyze, and place in a just light, the virtues of the first set- 
tlers of New England, is a departure from the purpose of this celebration ; 
or deem so meanly of our duties, as to conceive that merely local rela- 
tions, the circumstances which have given celebrity and character to this 
single city, are the only, or the most appropriate topics for the occasion. 
It was to this spot, during twelve successive years, that the great body of 
those first settlers emigrated. In this place, they either fixed permanently 
their abode, or took their departure from it for the coast, or the interior. 

Whatever honor devolves on this metropolis from the events connected 
with its first settlement, is not solitary or exclusive; it is shared with 
Massachusetts; with New England ; in some sense with the whole Unit- 
ed States. For what part of this wide empire, be it sea or shore, lake or 
river, mountain or valley, have the descendants of the first settlers of New 
England not traversed ? what depth of forest not penetrated ? what dan- 
ger of nature or man not defied? Where is the cultivated field, in re- 
deeming which from the wilderness, their vigor has not been displayed ? 
Where amid unsubdued nature, by the side of the first log-hut of the set- 
tler, does the school-house stand and the church-spire rise, unless the sons 
of New England are there ? Where does improvement advance, under the 



BOSTON. 



active energy of willing hearts and ready hands, prostrating the moss-cov- 
ered monarchs of the wood, and from their ashes, amid their charred 
roots, bidding the greensward and the waving harvest to upspring, and 
the spirit of the fatliers of New England is not seen, hovering and shed- 
ding around the benign influences of sound social, moral, and religious in- 
stitutions, stronger and more enduring than knotted oak or tempered 
steel ? The swelling tide of their descendants has spread upon our coasts ; 
ascended our rivers; taken possession of our plains. Already it encircles 
our lakes. At this hour the rushing noise of the advancing wave startles 
the wild beast in his lair among the prairies of the West. Soon it shall 
be seen climbing the Rocky mountains, and, as it dashes over their cliffs, 
shall be hailed by the dwellers on the Pacific.* as the harbinger of the 
coming blessings of safety, liberty, and truth. 

The glory, which belongs to the virtues of our ancestors, is seen radiat- 
ing from the nature of their design; — from the spirit in which it was ex- 
ecuted ; — and from the character of their institutions. 

That emigration of Englishmen, which, two centuries ago, resulted in 
the settlement of this metropolis, was distinguished by the comparative 
greatness of the means employed, and the number, rank, fortune, and in- 
tellectual endowments of those engaged in it, as leaders or associates. 
Twelve ships, transporting somewhat less than nine hundred souls, consti- 
tuted the physical strength of the first enterprise. In the course of the 
twelve succeeding years, twenty-two thousand souls emigrated in one hun- 
dred and ninety-two ships, at a cost, including the private expenses of the 
adventurers, which cannot be estimated, in our currency, at less than one 
million of dollars. At that time the tide of emigration was stayed. In- 
telligent writers of the last century assert that more persons had subse- 
quently gone from New England to Europe, than had come to it during the 
same period from that quarter of the globe. A contemporary historian 
represents the leaders of the first emigration as " gentlemen of good estate 
and reputation, descended from, or connected by marriage with, noble fam- 
ilies; having large means, and great yearly revenue, sufficient in all rea- 
son to content ; their tables abundant in food, their coffers in coin ; posses- 
sing beautiful houses, filled with rich furniture ; gainful in their business, 
and growing rich daily ; well provided for themselves, and having a .sure 
competence for their children; wanting nothing of a worldly nature to 
complete the prospects of ease and enjoyment, or which could contrib- 
ute to the pleasures, the prospects, or the splendors of life." 

The question forces itself on the mind. Why did such men emigrate ? 
Why did men of their condition exchange a pleasant and prosperous home 
for a repulsive and cheerless wilderness ? a civilized for a barbarous vicini- 
ty ? why, quitting peaceful and happy dwellings, dare the dangers of 

• This, it will be recollected, was written some years before the gold discoveries 
in California. 



EARLY HISTORY. 



tempestuous and unexplored seas, the rigors of untried and severe climates, 
the ditiiculties of a hard soil, and the inhuman warfare of a savage foe ? 
An answer must be sought in the character of the limes ; and in the spir- 
it which the condition of their native country and age had a direct ten- 
dency to excite and cherish. The general civil and religious aspect of the 
English nation, in the age of our ancestors, and in that immediately pre- 
ceding their emigration, was singularly hateful and repulsive. A foreign 
hierarchy contending with a domestic despotism for infallibility and su- 
premacy in matters of faith. Confiscation, imprisonment, the axe and 
the stake, approved and customary means of making proselytes and pro- 
moting uniformity. The fires of Smilhfield, now lighted by the corrupt 
and selfish zeal of Roman ponlitTs ; and now rekindled by the no less cor- 
rupt and selfish zeal of English sovereigns. All men clamorous for the 
rights of conscience, when in subjection ; all actively persecuting, when 
in authority. Everywhere religion considered as a state entity, and hav- 
ing apparently no real existence, except in associations in support of es- 
tablished power, or in opposition to it. 

The moral aspect of the age was not less odious than its civil. Every 
benign and characteristic virtue of Christianity was publicly conjoined, 
in close alliance, with its most offensive opposite. Humility wearing the 
tiara, and brandishing the keys, in the excess of the pride of temporal and 
spiritual power. The Roman pontiff, under the title of "the servant of 
servants," with his foot on the neck of every monarch in Christendom; 
and under the seal of the fisherman of Galilee, dethroning kings and giv- 
ing away kingdoms. Purity, content, and self-denial preached by men 
who held the wealth of Europe tributary to their luxury, sensuality, and 
spiritual pride. Brotherly love in the mouth, while the hand applied the 
instrument of torture. Charity, mutual forbearance, and forgiveness 
chanted in unison with clanking chains and crackling fagots. 

Nor was the intellectual aspect of the age less repulsive than its civil 
and moral. The native charm of the religious feeling lost or disfigured 
amidst forms, and ceremonies, and disciplines. By one class, piety was 
identified with copes, and crosiers, and tippets, and genuflexions. Bv 
another class, all these are abhorred as the tricks and conjuring garments 
of popery, or, at best, in the language of Calvin, as " tolerable fooleries " ; 
while tiiey, on their part, identified piety with looks, and language, and 
irestures extracted or typified from Scripture, and fashioned according to 
the newest " pattern of the mount." By none were the rights of private 
judgment acknowledged. By all, creeds, and dogmas, and confessions, 
and catechisms, collected from Scripture with metaphysical skill, arranged 
with reference to temporal power and influence, and erected into standards 
of faith, were made the flags and rallying points of the spiritual swords- 
men of the church militant. 

Tlie first emotion which this view of that period excites, at the present 



BOSTON. 



day, is contempt or disgust. But the men of that age are no more re-, 
sponsible for the mistakes into which they fell, under the circumstances 
in which the intellectual eye was then placed, than we, at this day, for 
those optical illusions to which the natural eye is subject, before time and 
experience have corrected the judgment and instructed it in the true laws 
of nature and vision. It was their fate to live in the crepuscular state of 
the intellectual day, and by the law of their nature they were compelled 
to see things darkly, through false and shifting mediums, and in lights at 
once dubious and deceptive. For centuries, a night of Egyptian darkness 
had overspread Europe, in the " palpable obscure " of which, priests and 
monarchs and nobles had not only found means to enthral the minds of 
the multitude, but absolutely to loose and bewilder their own. 

When the light of learning began to dawn, the first rays of the rising 
splendor dazzled and confused, rather than directed, the mind. As the 
coining light penetrated the thick darkness, the ancient cumulative cloud 
severed into new forms. Its broken masses became tinged with an un- 
certain and shifting radiance. Shadows assumed the aspect of substan- 
ces ; the evenescent suggestions of fancy, the look of fixed realities. 
The wise were at a loss what to believe, or what to discredit ; how to quit 
and where to hold. On all sides sprang up sects and parties, infinite in 
number, incomprehensible in doctrine; often imperceptible in difference; 
yet each claiming for itself infallibility, and, in the sphere it affected to 
influence, supremacy; each violent and hostile to the others, haughty 
and hating its non-adhering brother, in a spirit wholly repugnant to the 
humility and love inculcated by that religion, by which each pretended 
to be actuated ; and ready to resort, when it had power, to corporeal penal 
ties, even to death itself, as allowed modes of self defence and prosely- 
tism. 

It was the fate of the ancestors of New England to have their lot cast 
in a state of society thus unprecedented. They were of that class of the 
English nation, in whom the systematic persecutions of a concentrated 
civil and ecclesiastical despotism had enkindled an intense interest con- 
cerning man's social and religious rights. Their sufferings had created in 
their minds a vivid and inextinguishable love of civil and religious liberty ; 
a fixed resolve, at every peril, to assert and maintain their natural rights. 
Among the boldest and most intelligent of this class of men, chiefly 
known by the name of Puritans, were the founders of this metropolis. 
To a superficial view, their zeal seems directed to forms and ceremonies 
and disciplines which have become, at this day, obsolete or modified, and 
so seems mistaken or misplaced. But the wisdom of zeal for any object 
is not to be measured by the particular nature of that object, but by the 
nature of the principle which the circumstances of the times, or of so- 
ciety, have identified with such object. 

Ijherty, whether civil or religious, is among the noblest objects of hu- 



EARLY HISTORY'. 



man regard. Yet, to a being constituted like man, abstract liberty has 
no existence, and over him r;o practical inlluence. To be for him an effi- 
cient principle of action, it must be embodied in some sensible object. 
Thus the form of a cap, the color of a surplice, ship-money, a tax on lea, 
or on stamped paper, objects in themselves indifferent, have been so in- 
separably identified with the principle temporarily connected with them, 
that martyrs have died at the stake, and patriots have fallen in the field, 
and this wisely and nobly, for the sake of the principle, made by the cir- 
cumstances of the lime to inhere in them. 

Now in the age of our fathers, the principle of civil and religious liber- 
ty became identified with forms, disciplines, and modes of worship. The 
zeal of our fathers was graduated by the importance of the inhering 
principle. This gave elevation to that zeal. This creates interest in 
their sufferings. This entitles them to rank among patriots and martyrs, 
who have voluntarily sacrificed themselves to the cause of conscience and 
their country. Indignant at being denied the enjoyment of the rights of 
conscience, which were in that age identified with those sensible objects, 
and resolute to vindicate them, they quitted country and home, crossed 
the Atlantic, and, without other auspices than their own strength and 
their confidence in Heaven, they proceeded to lay the foundation of a 
commonwealth, under the principles and by the stamina of which, their 
posterity have established an actual and uncontroverted independence, not 
less happy than glorious. To their enlhusia.stic vision, all the comforts 
of life and all the pleasures of society were light and worthless in com- 
parison with the liberty they souglit. The tempestuous sea was less 
dreadful than the troubled waves of civil discord ; the quicksands, the 
imknown shoals, and unexplored shores of a savage coast, less fearful 
than the metaphysical abysses and perpetually shifting whirlpools of des- 
potic ambition and ecclesiastical policy and intrigue ; the bow and the 
tomahawk of the transatlantic barbarian, less terrible than the flame and 
faggot of the civilized European. In the calm of our present peace and 
prosperity, it is difficult for us to realize or appreciate their sorrows and 
sacrifices. They sought a new world, lying far off in space, destitute of 
all the attractions which make home and native land dear and venerable. 
Instead of cultivated fields and a civilized neighborhood, the prospect be- 
fore them presented nothing but dreary wastes, cheerless climates, and 
repulsive wildernesses, possessed by wild bea-sts and savages; the inter- 
vening ocean une.xplored and intersected by the fleets of a hostile nation ; 
its usual dangers multiplied to the fancy, and in fact, by ignorance of 
real hazards, and natural fears of such as the event proved to be imagi- 
nary. 

"Pass on," exclaims one of these adventurers, "and attend, while 
these soldiers of faith ship for this western world ; wliile they and their 
wives and their little ones lake an eternal leave of their country and kin- 



BOSTON. 



dred. With what heart-breaking affection did they press loved friends to 
their bosoms, whom they were never to see again ! their voices broken 
by grief, till tears streaming eased their hearts to recovered speech again; 
natural affections clamorous as they take a perpetual banishment from 
their native soil; their enterprise scorned; their motives derided; and 
they counted but madmen and fools. But time shall discover the wisdom 
with which they were endued, and the sequel shall show how their policy 
overtopped all the human policy of this world." 

Winthrop, their leader and historian, in his simple narrative of the 
voyage, exhibits them, when in severe sutferings, resigned; in instant ex 
pectation of battle, fearless; amid storm, sickness, and death, calm, con- 
fident, and undismayed. " Our trust," says he, " was in the Lord of 
hosts." For years, Winthrop, the leader of the first great enterprise, 
was the chief magistrate of the infant metropolis. His prudence guided 
its councils. His valor directed its strength. His life and fortune were 
spent in fixing its character, or in improving its destinies. A bolder spir- 
it never dwelt, a truer heart never beat, in any bosom. Had Boston, like 
Rome, a consecrated calendar, there is no name better entitled than that 
of Winthrop to be registered as its " patron saint." 

From Salem and Charlestown, the places of their first landing, they 
ranged the bay of Massachusetts to fix the head of the settlement. Af 
ter much deliberation, and not without opposition, they selected this 
spot ; known to the natives by the name of Sharvmut, and to the adjoin- 
ing settlers by that of Trimountain ; the former indicating the abun- 
dance and sweetness of its waters ; the latter the peculiar character of 
its hills. 

Accustomed as we are to the beauties of the place and its vicinity, and 
in the daily perception of the charms of its almost unrivalled scenery, — 
in the centre of a natural amphitheatre, whose sloping descents the riches 
of a laborious and intellectual cultivation adorn, — where hill and vale, 
river and ocean, island and continent, simple nature and unobtrusive art, 
with contrasted and interchanging harmonies, form a rich and gorgeous 
landscape, we are little able to realize the almost repulsive aspect of its 
original state. We wonder at the blindness of those, who, at one time, 
constituted the majority, and had well nigh fixed elsewhere the chief seat 
of the settlement. Nor are we easily just to Winthrop, Johnson, and 
their associates, whose skill and judgment selected this spot, and whose 
firmness settled the wavering minds of the multitude upon it, as the place 
for their metropolis ; a decision, which the experience of two centuries 
has irrevocably justified, and which there is no reason to apprehend that 
the events or opinions of any century to come will reverse. 

To the eyes of the first emigrants, however, where now exists a dense 
and aggregated mass of Jiving beings and material things, amid all the 
accommodations of life, the splendors of wealth, the delights of taste, 



EARLY HISTORY. 



anil whatever can gratify the culiivaled intellect, there were then only a 
few hills, which, when the ocean receded, were intersected by wide 
marshes, and when its tide returned, appeared a group of lofty islands, 
abruptly rising from the surrounding waters. Thick forests concealed the 
neighboring hills, and the deep tiileiice of nature was broken only by the 
voice of the wild beast or bird, and the warwhoop of the savage. 

The advantages of the place were, however, clearly marked by the 
hand of nature; combining at once i)resenl Cfinvcnience, future security, 
and an ample basis for permanent growth and prosperity. Towards the 
continent il possessed but a single avenue, and that easily fortified. Its 
hills then commanded, not only its own waters, but the hills of the vicin- 
ity. At the bottom of a deep bay, its harbor was capable of containing 
the proudest navy of Europe; yet, locked by islands and guarded by 
winding channels, it presented great difficulty of access to strangers, and. 
to the inhabitants, great facility of protection against maritime invasion; 
while to those acquainted with its waters, it was both easy and accessi- 
ble. To these advantages were added goodness and plenteousness of wa- 
ter, and the security afforded by that once commanding height, now, 
alas ! obliterated and almost forgotten, since art and industry have lev- 
elled the predominating mountain of the place ; from whose lofty and im- 
posing top the beacon-fire was accustomed to rally the neighboring popu- 
lation, on any threatened danger to the metropolis. A single cottage, 
from which aiscended the smoke of the hospitable hearth of Blackstone, 
who had occupied the peninsula several years, was the sole civilized 
mansion in the solitude; the kind master of Which, at first, welcomed the 
coming emigrants ; but soon, disliking the sternness of their manners and 
the severity of their discipline, abandoned the settlement. His rights as 
first occupant were recognized by our ancestors ; and in November, 1634, 
Edmund Quincy, Samuel Wildbore, and others were authorized to assess 
a rate of thirty pounds for Mr. Blackstone, on the payment of which all 
local rights in the peninsula became vested in its inhabitants. 

The same bold spirit which thus led our ancestors across the Atlantic, 
and made them prefer a wilderness where liberty might be enjoyed to 
civilized Europe where it was denied, will be found characterizing all 
their institutions. Of these the limits of the time permit me to speak 
only in general terms. The scope of their policy has been usually regard- 
ed as though it were restricted to the acquisition of religious liberty in 
the relation of colonial dependence. No man, however, can truly un- 
derstand their institutions and the policy on which they were founded, 
without taking as the basis of all reasonings concerning them, that civil 
independence was as truly their object as religious liberty ; in other 
words, that the possession of the former was, in their opinion, the essen- 
tial means, indispensable to the secure enjoyment of the latter, which 
was their great end. 



10 BOSTON. 



The master passion of our early ancestors was dread of the English 
hierarchy. To place themselves, locally, beyond the reach of its power, 
they resolved to emigrate. To secure themselves after their emigration, 
from the arm of this their ancient oppressor, they devised a plan, which, 
as they thought, would enable them to establish, under a nominal subjec- 
tion, an actual independence. The bold and original conception, which 
they had the spirit to form and successfully to execute, was the attain- 
ment and perpetuation of religious liberty, under the auspices of a free 
commonwealth. This is the master-key to all their policy, — this the 
glorious spirit which breathes in all their institutions. Whatever in them* 
is stern, exclusive, or at this day seems questionable, may be accounted 
for, if not justified, by its connection with this great purpose. 

The question has often been raised, when and by whom the idea of in- 
dependence of the parent state was first conceived, and by whose act a 
settled purpose to effect it was first indicated. History does not permit 
the people of Massachusetts to make a question of this kind. The honor 
of that thought, and of as efficient a declaration of it as in their circum- 
stances was possible, belongs to VVinthrop, and Dudley, and Saltonstall, 
and their associates, and was included in the declaration, that " the only 

CONDITION on which THEY WITH THEIR FAMILIES WOULD REMOVE TO 
THIS COUNTRY, WAS, THAT THE PATENT AND CHARTER SHOULD REMOVE 
WITH THEM." 

This simple declaration and resolve included, as they had the sagacity 
to perceive, all the consequences of an effectual independence, under a 
nominal subjection. For protection against foreign powers, a charter 
from the parent state was necessary. Its transfer to New England vest- 
ed, effectually, independence. Those wise leaders foresaw, that, among 
the troubles in Europe, incident to the age, and then obviously impending 
over their parent state, their settlement, from its distance and early insig- 
nificance, would probably escape notice. They trusted to events, and 
doubtless anticipated, that, with its increasing strength, even nominal 
subjection would be abrogated. They knew that weakness was the law of 
nature in the relation between parent states and their distant and de- 
tached colonies. Nothing else can be inferred, not only from their making 
the transfer of the charter the essential condition of their emigration, 
thereby saving themselves from all responsibility to persons abroad, but 
also from their instant and undeviating course of policy after their emi- 
gration; in boldly assuming whatever powers were necessary to their con- 
dition, or suitable to their ends, whether attributes of sovereignty or not, 
without regard to the nature of the consequences resulting from the exer- 
cise of those powers. 

Nor was this assumption limited to powers which might be deduced 
from the charier, but was extended to such as no act of incorporation, 
like ihal which they possessed, could, by any possibility of legal construe 



EAKI.Y HfSrORY. 



II 



lion, be deemed to include. By the marjic of their daring, a private act 
of incorporation was transmuted into a civil constitution of state ; under 
the authority of which they made peace and declared war ; erected judi- 
catures: coined money; raised armies ; built fleets; laid taxes and im- 
posts; inflicted fines, penalties, and death; and in imitation of the Brili.sh 
constitution. l)y the consent of all its own branches, without-asking leave 
of any other, their legislature modified its own powers and relations, pre- 
scribed the qualifications of tho.se who should conduct its authority, and 
enjoy or be excluded from its privileges. 

The administration of the civil affairs of Massachusetts, for the sixty 
years next succeedins the settlement of this metropolis, was a phenome- 
non in tlie history of civil povernment. Under a theoretic colonial rela- 
tion, an elFicient and independent Commonwealth was erected, claiming 
and exercising attributes of sovereignty, higher and far more extensive 
than, at the present day, in consequence of its connection with the gen- 
eral government, Massachusetts pretends either to exercise or possess. 
Well might Chalmers asserts, as in his Political Annals of the Colonies 
he does, that " Massachusetts, with a peculiar dexterity, abolished her 
charter " ; that she was always " fruitful in projects of independence, the 
principles of which, at all times, governed her actions." In this point 
of view, it is glory enough for our early ancestors, that, under manifold 
disadvantages, in the midst of internal discontent and external violence 
and intrigue, of wars with the savages and with the neighboring colonies 
of France, they effected their purpose, and for two generations of men. 
from 1630 to 1692, enjoyed liberty of conscience, according to their view 
of that subject, under the auspices of a free commonwealth. 

The three objects, which our ancestors proposed to attain and perpetuate 
by all their institutions, were the noblest wiihm the grasp of the human 
mind, and those on which, more than on any other, depend human hap- 
piness and hope; — religious lilierty. civil liberty, and, as essential to 
the attainment and maintenance of both, intellectual poimr. 

On the subject of religious liberty, their intolerance of other sects has 
been reprobated as an inconsistency, and as violating the very rights of 
conscience for which they emigrated. The inconsistency, if it exist, is 
altogether constructive, and the charge proceeds on a false assumption. 
The necessity of the policy, considered in connection with their great de- 
sign of independence, is apparent. They had abandoned house and 
home, had sacrificed the comforts of kindred and cultivated life, had dared 
the dangers of the sea, and were then braving the still more appalling 
terrors of the wilderness; for what? — to acquire liberty for all sorts of 
consciences ! Not so; but to vindicate and maintain the liberty of their 
own consciences. They did not cross the Atlantic on a crusade in behalf 
of the rights of mankind in general, but in support of their own riirhts 
and liberties Tolerate! Tolerate whom? The leeale of the Roman Ton 



12 BOSTON. 



tiff, or the emissary of Cliarles tlie First and Arciibisliop Laud ? How 
consummate would have been their folly and madness, to have fled into 
the wilderness to escape the horrible perseculionsof those hierarchies, and 
at once have admitted into the bosom of their society, men brandishing, 
and ready to apply, the very flames and fetters from which they had fled ! 
Those who are disposed to condemn them on this account, neither realize 
the necessities of their condition, nor the prevailing character of the 
limes. Under the stern discipline of Elizabeth and James, the stupid big- 
otry of the First Charles, and the spiritual pride of Archbishop Laud, the 
spirit of the English hierarchy was very different from thai which it as- 
sumed, when, after having been tamed and humanized under the whole- 
some discipline of Cromwell and his Commonwealth, it yielded itself to 
the mild influence of the principles of 16S3, and to the liberal spirit of Til- 
lotson. 

But, it is said, if they did not tolerate their ancient persecutors, they 
might, at least, have tolerated rival sects. That is, they ought to have 
tolerated sects imbued with the same principles of intolerance as the 
transatlantic hierarchies ; sects, whose first use of power would have 
been to endeavor to uproot the liberty of our fathers, and persecute them, 
according to the known principles of sectarian action, with a virulence in 
the inverse ratio of their reciprocal likeness and proximity. Those who 
thus reason and thus condemn, have considered but very superficially 
the nature of the human mind and its actual condition in the lime of our 
ancestors. 

The great doctrine, now so universally recognized, that liberty of con- 
science is the right of the individual, — a concern between every man and 
his Maker, with which the civil magistrate is not authorized to interfere, 
— was scarcely, in their day, known, except in private theory and solitary 
speculation ; as a practical truth, to be acted upon by the civil power, it 
was absolutely and universally rejected by all men, all parties, and all 
sects, as totally subversive, not only of the peace of the church, but of 
the peace of society. That great truth, now deemed so simple and plain, 
was so far from being an easy discovery of the human intellect, that it 
may be doubted whether it would ever have been discovered by human 
reason at all. had it not been for the miseries in which man was involved 
in consequence of his ignorance of it. That truth was not evolved by the 
calm exertion of the human faculties, but was stricken out by the collis- 
ion of the human passions. It was not the result of philosophic research, 
but was a hard lesson, taught under the lash of a severe discipline, pro- 
vided for the gradual instruction of a being like man, not easily brought 
into subjection to virtue, and with natural propensities to pride, ambi- 
tion, avarice, and selfishness. 

Previously to that time, in all modifications of society, ancient or mod- 
ern, religion had been seen only in close connection with the State. It 



EARLY HISTORY. 13 



was the uuiversal instrument by which worldly ambition sluiped and 
moulded the multitude to its ends. To have attempted the establishment 
of a state on the basis of a perfect freedom of religious opinion, and the 
perfect right of every man to express his opinion, would then have been 
considered as nmch a solecism, and an experiment quite as wild and vis- 
ionary, as it would be, at this day, to attempt the establishment of a state 
on the principle of a perfect liberty of individual action, and the perfect 
right of every man to conduct himself according to his private will. 
Had our early ancestors adopted the course we, at this day, are apt to 
deem so easy and obvious, and placed their government on the basis of 
liberty for all sorts of consciences, it would have been, in that age, a cer- 
tain introduction of anarchy. It cannot be questioned, that all tlie fond 
hopes they had cherished from emigration would have been lost. The 
agents of Charles and James would have planted here the standard of the 
transatlantic monarchy and hierarchy. Divided and broken, without prac- 
tical energy, subject to court influences and court favorites. New England 
at this day would have been a colony of the parent state, her character 
yet to be formed and her independence yet to be vindicated. Lest' the 
consequences of an opposite policy, had it been adopted by our ancestors, 
may seem to be exaggerated, as here represented, it is proper to state, 
that upon the strength and united spirit of New England mainly depend- 
ed (under Heaven) the success of our revolutionary struggle. Had New 
England been divided, or even less unanimous, independence would have 
scarcely been attempted, or, if attempted, acquired. It will give addition- 
al strength to this argument to observe, that the number of troops, regular 
and militia, furnished by all the States during the war of the revolution, 

was 288,134 

Of these New England furnished more than half, viz. . . 147,671 

And Massachusetts alone furnished nearly one third, viz. . * S3. 162 

The non-toleration which characterized our early ancestors, from what- 
ever source it may have originated, had undoubtedly the effect they in- 
tended and wished. It excluded from influence in their infant settlement 
all the friends and adherents of the ancient monarchy and heirarchy : all 
who, from any motive, ecclesiastical or civil, were disposed to disturb 
their peace or their churches. They considered it a measure of " self- 
defence." And it is unquestionable, that it was chiefly instrumental in 
forming the homogeneous and exclusively republican character, for which 
the people of New-England have, in all times, been distinguished; and. 
above all, that it fixed irrevocably in the country that noble security for 
religious liberty, the independent system of church government. 

The principle of the independence of the churches, including the right 
of every individual to unite with what church he pleases, under whatever 

• See " Collections of the New H.impshire Historical Society," Vol. I. 



14 BOSTON. 



sectarian auspices it may liave been fostered, has tliroiigh tiie influence 
of time and experience, lost altogether its exclusive character. It has be- 
come the universal guaranty of religious liberty to all sects without dis- 
crimination, and is as much the protector of the Roman Catholic, the 
Episcopalian, and the Presbyterian, as of the Independent form of wor- 
ship. The security, which results from this principle, does not depend 
upon charters and constitutions, but on what is stronger than either, the 
nature of the principle in connection with the nature of man. So long 
as this intellectual, moral, and religious being, man, is constituted as he 
is, the unrestricted liberty of associating for public worship, and the in- 
dependence of those associations of external control, will necessarily 
lead to a most happy number and variety of them. In the pjfinciple of 
the independence of each, the liberty of individual conscience is safe un- 
der the panoply of the common interest of all. No other perfect security 
for liberty of conscience was ever devised by man, except this independ- 
ence of the churches. This possessed, liberty of conscience has no dan- 
ger. This denied, it has no safety. There can be no greater human secu- 
rity than common right, placed under the protection of common interest. 

It is the excellence and beauty of this simple principle, that, while it 
secures all, it restricts none. They, who delight in lofty and splendid 
monuments of ecclesiastical architecture, may raise the pyramid of 
church power, with its aspiring steps and gradations, until it terminate 
in the despotism of one, or a few ; the humble dwellers at the base of the 
proud edifice may wonder, and admire the ingenuity of the contrivance 
and the splendor of its massive dimensions, but it is without envy antl 
witliout fear. Safe in the principle of independence, they worship, be it 
in tent, or tabernacle, or in the open air. as securely as though standing 
on the topmost pinnacle of the loftiest fabric ambition ever devised. 

The glory of discovering and putting this principle to the test, on a 
scale capable of trying its efficacy, belongs to the fathers of Massachu- 
setts, who are entitled to a full share of that acknowledgment made by 
Hume, when he asserts, " that for all the liberty of the English constitu- 
tion, that nation is indebted to the Puritans." 

The glory of our ancestors radiates from no point more strongly than 
from their institutions of learning. The people of New England are the 
first known to history, who provided, in the original constitution of their 
society, for tlie education of the whole population out of the general fund. 
In other countries, provisions have been made of this character in favor 
of certain particular classes, or for the poor by way of charity. But here 
first were the children of the whole community invested with the right of 
being educated at the expense of the whole society ; and not only this, 
— the obligation to take advantage of that ris:ht was enforced by severe 
supervision and penalties. By simple laws they founded their common- 
wealth on the only basis on which a republic has any hope of happiness 



I 



EARKY HISTORY. 1;" 



or continuance, the general intbrmaiion of the people. Tiiey (ienomina 
led it •• barb.iri:!in " not to be able •' perfectly to read t!ie Enslish ton?ne 
and to know the general laws." In soliciting a general coniribuiion for 
the support of the neighboring University, they declare that "skill in 
the tongues and liberal arts is not only laudable, but ttecessary for th< 
well-being of the coninuiiiwealih " And in re'iuiring every town, having 
one hundred householders, to set up a Granimar School, provided with a 
master able to fit youth for the University, the object avowed is. " to en- 
able men to obtain a knowledge of the Scripiures, and by acciuainlance 
with the ancient tongues to qualify them to discern tVie true sense and 
meaning of the original, however corrupted by false glosses." Thus lib- 
eral and thus elevated, in respect of learning, were the views of our an- 
cestors. 

To the same master passion, dread of the English hierarchy, and the 
same main purpose, civil Independence, may be attributed, in a great de- 
gree, the nature of the government which the principal civil and spirit- 
ual influences of the time esiablisheil, and, notwithstanding its many ob- 
jectionable features, the willing submission to it of the people. 

It cannot be questioned that the constitution of the State, as sketched 
in the first laws of our ancestors, was a skilful combination of both civil 
and ecclesiastical powers. Church and state were very curiously and effi 
ciently interwoven with each other. It is usual to attribute to religious 
bigotry the submission of the mass of the people to a system thus stern 
and exclusive. It may, however, with quite as much justice, be resolved 
into love of independence and political sagacity. 

The great body of the first emigrants doubtless coincided in general re- 
ligious views with those whose influence predominated in their church 
and state. They had consequently no personal objection to the stern dis- 
cipline their political system established. They had also the sagacity to 
foresee that a system which by its rigor should exclude from power all 
who did not concur with their religious views, would have a direct ten- 
dency to deter those in other countries from emigrating to their settle- 
ment, who did not agree with the general plan of policy they had adopt- 
ed, and of consequence to increase the probability of their escape from 
the interference of their ancient oppressors, and the chance of suc.cess in 
laying the foundation of the free commonwealth they contemplated. 
Tiiey also doubtless perceived, that with the unqualified possession of the 
elective franchise, they had little reason to apprehend that they could not 
easily control or annihilate any ill eftect upon their political system, aris- 
ing from the union of church and state, should it become insupportable. 

There is abundant evidence that the submission of the people to this 
new form of church and state combination was not owing to ignorance, 
or to inditTerence to the true principles of civil and religious liberty 
Notwithstanding the strong attachment of the early emigrants to their 



16 BOSTON. 



civil, and their almost blind devotion to their ecclesiastical leaders, when 
either, presuming on their influence, attempted any thing inconsistent 
with general liberty, a corrective is seen almost immediately applied by 
the spirit and intelligence of the people. 

In this respect, the character of the people of Boston has been at all 
times distinguished. In every period of our history, they have been sec- 
ond to none in quickness to discern or in readiness to meet every exigen- 
cy, fearlessly hazarding life and fortune in support of the liberties of the 
cojnmonwealth. It would be easy to maintain these positions by a re- 
currence to the annals of each successive age, and particularly to facts 
connected with our revolutionary struggle. A few instances only will be 
noticed, and those selected from the earliest times. 

A natural jealousy soon sprung up in the metropolis as to the inten- 
tions of their civil and ecclesiastical leaders. In 1631 the people began 
to fear, lest, by reelecting Winthrop, they "should make way for a Gov- 
ernor for life." They accordingly gave some indications of a design to 
elect another person. Upon which John Cotton, their great ecclesiastical 
head, then at the height of his popularity, preached a discourse to the 
General Court, and delivered this doctrine : " that a magistrate ought not 
to be turned out, without just cause, no more than a magistrate might 
turn out a private man from his freehold, without trial." To show their 
dislike of the doctrine by the most practical of evidences, our ancestors 
gave the political divine and his adherents a succession of lessons, for 
which they were probably the wi.ser all the rest of their lives. They 
turned out Winthrop at the very same election, and put in Dudley. The 
year after, they turned out Dudley and put in Haynes. The year after, 
they turned out Haynes and put in Vane. So much for the first broach- 
ing, in Boston, of the doctrine that public office is of the nature of free- 
hold. 

In 1635, an attempt was made by the General Court to elect a certain 
number of magistrates as councillors for life. Although Cotton was the 
author also of this project, and notwithstanding his influence, yet such 
was the spirit displayed by our ancestors on the occasion, that within 
three years the General Court was compelled to pass a vote, denying any 
such intent, and declaring that the persons so chosen should not be ac- 
counted magistrates or have any authority in consequence of such elec- 
tion. 

In 1636, the great Anlinomian controversy divided the country. Bos- 
ton was for the covenant of grace ; the General Court for the covenant of 
works. Under pretence of the apprehension of a riot, the General Court 
adjourned to Newtown, and expelled the Boston deputies for daring to 
remonstrate. Boston, indignant at this infringement of its liberties, was 
about electing the same deputies a second time. At the earnest solicita- 
tion of Cotton, however, they chose others. One of these was also ex- 



EARLY HISTORY. 17 



pelled tiy the Court ; and a writ having issued lo ilie town orderiii;,' a new 
eleciiun, they refused niaknig any return to the warrant, — a contempt 
which the General Court did not think it wise lo resent. 

In 1G59, tiiere being vacancies in the Board of Assistants, the governor 
and magistrates met and nominated three persons, " not with intent," as 
tliey said, " to lead the people's choice of these, nor to divert them from 
any other, but only to propound for consideration (which any freeman 
may do), and so leave the people to use their liberties according to their 
consciences." The result w-as, that the people did use their liberties ac- 
cording to their consciences. They chose not a man of them. So much 
for the first legislative caucus in our history. It probably would have 
been happy for their posterity, if the people had always treated like 
nominations with as little ceremony. 
I About this time also the General Court took exception at the length of 
the •■lectures," then the great delight of the people, and at the ill effects 
resulting from their freipiency ; whereby poor people were led greatly to 
neglect their atlairs; to the great hazard also of their health, owing to 
their long continuance in the night. Boston e.xpressed strong dislike at 
this interference, " fearing that the precedent might enthrall them to the 
civil power, and, besides, be a blemish upon them with their posterity, as 
though they needed to be regulated by the civil magistrate, and raise an 
ill-savor of their coldness, as if it were possible for the people of Boston to 
complain of too much preaching." 

The magistrates, fearful lest the people should break their bonds, were 
content to apologize, to abandon the scheme of shortening lectures or 
diminishing their number, and lo rest satisfied with a general understand- 
ing that assemblies should break up in such season as that people, dwel- 
ling a mile or two off, might get home by daylight. Winthrop, on this 
occasion, passes the following eulogium on the people of Boston, which 
every period of their history amply confirms: — ''They were generally 
of that understanding and moderation, as that they would be easily guided 
in their way by any rule from Scripture or sound reason." 

It is curious and instructive to trace the principles of our constitution, 
as they were successively suggested by circumstances, and gradually 
gained by the intelligence and daring spirit of the people. For the first 
four years after their emigration, the freemen, like other corporations, 
met and transacted business in a body. At this time the people attained 
a representation under the name of deputies, who sat in the same room 
with the magistrates, to whose negative all their proceedings were sub- 
jected. Next arose the struggle about the negative, which lasted for 
ten years, and eventuated in the separation of the General Court into two 
branches, with each a negative on the other. Then came the jealousy of 
the deputies concerning the magistrates, as proceeding too much by their 
discretion for want of positive laws, and the demand by the deputies that 



18 BOSTON. 



persons should be appointed lo frame a body of fundamental laws in re- 
semblance of the English Magna Charta. 

After this occurred the controversy relative to the powers of the magis- 
trates, during the recess of the General Court ; concerning which, when 
the deputies found that no compromise could be made, and the magis- 
trates declared tliat, " if occasion required, they should act according to 
the power and trust committed to them," the speaker of the House in his 
place replied, — " Then, gentlemen, vou will not be obeyed." 

In every period of our early history, the friends of the ancient hier- 
archy and monarchy were assiduous in their endeavors to introduce a 
form of government on the principle of an efficient colonial relation. 
Our ancestors were no less vigilant to avail themselves of their local situ- 
ation and of the difficulties of the parent slate to defeat those attempts; 
— or, in their language, " to avoid and protract." They lived, however, 
under a perpetual apprehension that a royal governor would be imposed 
upon them by the law of force. Their resolution never faltered on the 
point of resistance, to the extent of their power. Notwithstanding Bos- 
ton would have been the scene of the struggle, and the first victim to it, 
yet its inhabitants never shrunk from their duty through fear of danger, 
and were always among the foremost lo prepare for every exigency. 
Castle Island was fortified chiefly, and the battery at the north end of the 
town, and that called the " Sconce," wholly, by the voluntary contribu- 
tions of its inhabitants. After the restoration of Charles the Second, 
their instructions to their representatives in the General Court breathe 
one uniform spirit, — " not lo recede from their just rights and privileges 
as secured by the patent." When, in 1662, the king's commissioners 
came lo Boston, the inhabitants, to show their spirit in support of their 
own laws, look measures lo have them all arrested for a breach of the 
Saturday evening law; and actually brought them before the magistrate 
for riotous and abusive carriage. When Randolph, in 16S4, came with 
his quo warranto against their charter, on the question being taken in 
town meeting, " whether the freemen were minded that the General Court 
should make full submission and entire resignation of their charter, and 
of the privileges therein granted, to his Majesty's pleasure," — Boston 
resolved in the negative, without a dissentient. 

In 1689, the tyranny of Andros, the governor appointed by James the 
Second, having become insupportable to the whole country, Boston rose, 
like one man ; took the battery on Fort Hill by assault in open day ; 
made prisoners of the king's governor, and the captain of the king's 
frigate, then lying in the harbor; and restored, with the concurrence of 
the cotmtry, the authority of the old charter leaders. 

By accepting the charter of William and Mary, in 1692, the people of 
Massachusetts first yielded their claims of independence lo the crown. 
It is only requisite to read the official account of the agents of the colony, 



KARLY HISTORY. I'J 



to perceive both iFie resistance they made to that charter, and the neces- 
sity which compelled their acceptance of it. Those agents were loM by 
the king's ministers, that they " must take that or none " ; — that " tlieir 
consent to it was not asked " ; — that if " they would not submit to the 
king's pleasure, they must take what would follow." "The opinion of 
our lawyers," says the agents, "was, tiiat a passive submission to the j 
new, wa3 not a surrender of the old charter; and that their taking up 
with this did not make the people of Massachusetts, in law, uncapahle of 
obtaining all their old privileges, ichcnever a favorable opportunity 
should present itself." In the year 1776, nearly a century afterwards, 
that " favorable opportunity did present itself," and the people of Mas- 
3-ichusetts, in conformity with the opinion of their learned counsel and 
faithful agents, did vindicate and obtain all their " old privileges " of 
self-government. 

Under the new colonial government, thus authoritatively imposed upon 
them, arose new parties and new .struggles; — prerogative men, earnest 
for a permanent salary for the king's governor ; — patriots, resisting such 
an establishment, and indignant at the negative exercised by that officer. 

At the end of the first century after the settlement, three generations of 
men had passed away. For vigor, boldness, enterprise, and a self sacri- 
ficine spirit, Massachusetts stood unrivalled. She had added wealth and 
e,viensive dominion to the English crown. She had turned a barren wil- 
derness into a cultivated field, and instead of barbarous tribes had planted 
civilized communities. She had prevented France from taking pos.session 
of the whole of North America ; conquered Port Royal and Acadia ; and 
attempted the conquest of Canada with a fleet of thirty-two sail and two 
thousand men. At one time a fifth of her whole effective male population 
was in arms. When Nevis was plundered by Iberville, she voluntarily 
transmitted two thousand pounds sterling for the relief of the inhabitants 
of that island. By these exertions her resources were exhausted, her 
treasury was impoverished, and she stood bereft, and "alone with her 
glory." 

Boston shared 4X1 the embarrassments of the commonwealth. Her com 
merce was crippled by severe revenue laws, and by a depreciated curren- 
cy. Her population did not exceed fifteen thousand. In September, 1730, 
she was prevented from all notice of this anniversary by the desolations 
of the small-pox. 

Notwithstanding the darkness of these clouds which overhung Massa- 
chusetts and its metropolis at the close of the first century, in other as- 
pects the dawn of a brighter day may be iliscerned. The exclu-sive policy 
in matters of religion, to which the state had been subjected, began gradu- 
ally to give place to a more perfect liberty. Literature was exchanging 
subtile metaphysics, quaint conceits, and unwieldy lore, for inartificial 
reasoning, simple taste, and natural thought. Dummer defended the 



20 BOSTON. 



colony in language polished in the society of Pope and of Boliiigbroke. 
Coleman, Cooper, Chauncy, Bowdoin, and others of that constellation, 
were on the horizon. By their side shone the star of Franklin ; its early 
brightness giving promise of its meridian splendors. Even now began to 
appear signs of revolution. Voices of complaint and murmur were heard 
in the air. "Spirits finely touched and to fine issues," — willing and 
fearless, — breathing unutterable things, flashed along the darkness. In 
the sky were seen streaming lights, indicating the approach of luminaries 
yet below the horizon; Adams, Hancock, Otis, Warren; leaders of a 
glorious host; — precursors of eventful limes; "with fear of change 
perplexing monarchs." 

It would be appropriate, did space permit, to spgak of these luminaries, 
in connection with our revolution ; to trace the principles, which dic- 
tated the first emigration of the founders of this metropolis, through the 
several stages of their development ; and to show that the Declaration of 
Independence, in 1776, itself, and all the struggles which preceded it, and 
all the voluntary sacrifices, the selfdevotion, and the sufferings to which 
the people of thai day submitted, for the attainment of independence, 
were, so far as respects Massachusetts, but the natural and inevitable 
consequences of the terms of that noble engagement, made by our ances- 
tors, in August, 1629, the year before tfieir emigration ; — which may 
well be denominated, from its early and later results, the first and original 
declaration of independence by Massachusetts. 

" By God's assistance, we will he ready in our 2}ersons, and with 
such of our families as are to go with us, to embark for the said plan- 
tation by the first of March next, to pass the seas {binder God's protec- 
tion) to inhabit and continue in Netc England. Provided alicays. that 
before the last of September next, the whole government, together 

WITH THE patent, BE FIRST LEGALLY TRANSFERRED AND ESTABLISHED, 
TO REMAIN WITH US AND OTHERS, WHICH SHALL INHABIT THE SAID PLAN- 
TATION." — Generous resolution ! Noble foresight! Sublime selfdevo- 
tion ; chastened and directed by a wisdom, faithful and prospective of 
distant consequences! Well may we exclaim, — "This policy over- 
topped all the policy of this world." 

For the advancement of the three great objects which were the scope 
of the policy of our ancestors, — intellectual power, religious liberty, and 
civil liberty, — Boston has in no period been surpassed, either in readi- 
ness to incur, or in energy to make useful, personal or pecuniary sacrifi- 
ces. She provided for the education of her citizens out of the general 
fund, antecedently to the law of the Commonwealth making such provi- 
sion imperative. Nor can it be questioned that her example and influ- 
ence had a decisive effect in producing that law. An intelligent gener- 
osity has been conspicuous among her inhabitants on this subject, from 
the day when, in 163-5, they "'entreated our brother Philemon Pormont to 



EARLY HISTORY. 21 



become sclioolinasler, for the leaching and nurturing children with us," 
to this hour, when what is equivalent to a capital of two hundred and 
fifty thousand dollars is invested in school-houses, eighty schools are 
maintained, and seven thousand and five hundred children educated at an 
expense exceeding annually sixty-five thousand dollars. 

No city in the world, in proportion to its means and population, ever 
gave more uniform and unequivocal evidences of its desire to difl!"use in- 
tellectual power and moral culture through the whole mass of the com- 
munity. The result is every day witnessed, at home and abroad, in pri- 
vate intercourse and in the public assembly; in a quiet and orderly de- 
meanor, in the self-respect and mutual harmony prevalent among its 
citizens; in the general comfort which characterizes their condition ; in 
their submission to the laws ; and in that wonderful capacity for self 
government which postponed, for almost two centuries, a city organiza- 
tion; — and this, even then, was adopted more with reference to antici- 
pated, than from experience of existing, evils. During the whole of that 
period, and even after its population exceeded fifty thousand, its financial, 
economical, and municipal interests were managed, either by general 
vote, or by men appointed by the whole multitude ; and with a regular- 
ity, wisdom, and success, which it will be happy if future administra- 
tions shall equal, and which certainly they will find it difficult to exceed. 

The influence of the institutions of our fathers is also apparent in that 
munificence towards objects of public interest or charity, for which, in 
every period of its history, the citizens of Boston have been distinguished, 
and which, by universal consent, is recognized to be a prominent feature 
in their character. To no oily has Boston ever been second in its spirit 
of liberality. From the first settlement of the country to this day, it has 
been a point to which have tended applications for assistance or relief, on 
account of suffering or misfortune ; for the patronage of colleges, the en- 
dowment of schools, the erection of churches, and the spreading of learn- 
ing and religion, — from almost every section of the United Slates. Sel- 
dom have the hopes of any worthy applicant been disappointed. The 
benevolent and public sj)irit of its inhabitants is also evidenced by iis 
hospitals, its asylums, public libraries, alms-houses, charitable associa- 
tions, — in its patronage of the neighboring University, and in its sub- 
scriptions for general charities. 

It is obviously impracticable to give any just idea of the amount ol 
these charities. They flow from virtues which seek the shade and shun 
record. They are silent and secret out-wellings of grateful hearts, desir- 
ous unostentatiously to acknowledge the bounty of Heaven in their pros- 
perity and abundance. The result of inquiries, necessarily imperfect, 
however, authorize the statement, thai, in the records of societies having 
for their objects either learning or some public charily, or in document.'-' 
in the hands of individuals relative to contributions for the relief of suf 



22 BOSTON. 



fering, or the patronage of distinguished merit or talent, there exists evi- 
dence of the liberality of the citizens of this metropolis, and that chiefly 
v/ithin the last thirty years, of an amount, by voluntary donation or be- 
quest, exceeding one million and eight hundred thousand dollars. Far 
short as this sum falls of the real amount obtained within thai period 
from the liberality of our citizens, it is yet enough to make evident that 
the best spirit of the institutions of our ancestors survives in the hearts, 
and is exhibited in the lives, of ihe citizens of Boston ; inspiring love of 
country and duty ; stimulating to the active virtues of benevolence and 
charity ; exciting wealth and power to their best exercises ; counteracting 
what is selfish in our nature; and elevating the moral and social virtues 
to wise sacrifices and noble energies. 

With respect to religious liberty, where does it exist in a more perfect 
state than in this metropolis? Or where has it ever been enjoyed in a 
purer spirit, or with happier consequences ? In what city of e(iual popu- 
lation are all classes of society more distinguished for obedience to the 
institutions of religion, for regular attendance on its worship, for more 
happy intercourse with its ministers, or more uniformly honorable sup- 
port of them? In all struggles connected with religious liberty, and 
these are inseparable from its possession, it may be said of the inhabi- 
tants of this city, as truly as of any similar association of men, that they 
have ever maintained the freedom of the Gospel in the spirit of Christian- 
ity. Divided into various sects, their mutual intercourse has, almost 
without exception, been harmonious and respectful. The labors of in- 
temperate zealots, with which, occasionally, every age has been troubled, 
have seldom, in this metropolis, been attended with their natural and 
usual consequences. Its seels have never been made to fear or hate one 
another. The genius of its inhabitants, through the influence of the in- 
tellectual power which pervades their mass, has ever been quick to delect 
" close ambition varnished o'er with zeal." The modes, the forms, the 
discipline, the opinions which our ancestors held to be essential, have, in 
many respects, been changed or obliterated with ihe progress of lime, or 
been countervailed or superseded by rival forms and opinions. 

But veneration for the sacred Scriptures and attachment to the right of 
free inquiry, which were the substantial motives of their emigration and 
of all their institutions, remain, and are maintained in a Christian spirit 
(judging by life and language), certainly not exceeded in the times of any 
of our ancestors. The right to read those Scriptures is universally recog- 
nized. The means to acquire the possession and to attain the knowledge 
of them are multiplied by the intelligence and liberality of the age, and 
extended to every class of society. All men are invited to search for 
themselves concerning the grounds of their hopes of future happiness 
and acceptance. All are permitted to hear from the lips of our Saviour 
himself, that "the meek," " the merciful," "the pure in heart," "llie 



EARLY HISTOKV. 23 



persecuted for righieousaess' sake," are ihose who shall receive the bless- 
in?, and be admitted to the presence, of the Eternal Father; and to be 
assured from those sacred records, that, " in every nation, he who feareth 
God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him." Elevated by the 
power of these sublime assurances, as conformable to reason as to revela- 
tion, man's intellectual principle rises "above the smoke and stir of this 
dim spot," and, like an eagle soaring above the Andes, looks down on 
the cloudy clitfs, the narrow, separating points, and flaming craters, 
which divide and terrify men below. 

It is scarcely necessary to speak of civil liberty, or tell of our constitu- 
tions of government ; of the freedom they maintain and are calculated to 
preserve; of the equality they establish; the self-respect they encour- 
age ; the private and domestic virtues they cherish; the love of country 
they inspire ; the self devotion and self-sacrifice they enjoin ; — all these 
are but the filling up of the great outline sketclied by our fathers, the 
pans in which, through the darkness and perversity of their limes, they 
were defective, being corrected; all are but endeavors, conformed to their 
great, original conception, to group together the strength of society and 
the religious and civil rights of the individual, in a living and breathing 
spirit of efficient power, by forms of civil government, adapted to our 
condition, and adjusted to social relations of unexampled greatness and 
extent, unparalleled in their results, and connected by principles elevated 
as the nature of man, and immortal as his destinies. 

It is not. however, from local position, nor from general circumstances 
of life and fortune, that the peculiar felicity of this metropolis is to be de- 
duced. Her enviable distinction is, that she is among the chiefest of that 
happy New England family, which claims descent from the early emi- 
grants. If we take a survey of that family, and, excluding from our 
view the unnumbered multitudes of its members who have occupied the 
vacant wilderness of other states, we restrict our thoughts to the local 
sphere of New England, what scenes open upon our sight I How wild 
and visionary would seem our prospects, did we indulge only natural an- 
ticipations of the future! Already, on an area of seventy thousand 
.'square miles, a population of two millions ; all, but comparatively a few, 
descendants of the early emigrants ! Six independent Commonwealths, 
with constitutions varying in the relations and proportions of power, yet 
uniform in all their general principles; diverse in their political arrange- 
ments, yet each sufficient for its own necessities ; all harmonious with 
those without, and peaceful within; embracing under the denomination 
of fotcits, upwards of twelve hundred effective republics, with qualified 
powers, indeed, but possessing potent influences; sutjjt'ct themselves to 
the respective slate sovereignties, yet directing all their operations, and 
shaping their policy by constitutional agencies ; swayed, no less than the 
greater republics, by passions, interests, and afl^ections ; like them, exciting 



24 



BOSTON. 



competitions whicli rouse into action tlie latent energies of mind, and 
infuse into the mass of each society a knowledge of the nature of its in- 
terests, and a capacity to understand and share in the defence of those of 
the Commonwealth. The effect of these minor republics is daily seen in 
the existence of practical talents, and in the readiness with which those 
talents can be called into the public service of the state. 

If, after this general survey of the surface of New England, we cast 
our eyes on its cities and great towns, with what wonder should we be- 
hold, did not familiarity render the phenomenon almost unnoticed, men, 
combined in great multitudes, possessing freedom and the consciousness 
of strength, — the comparative physical power of the ruler less than that 
of a cobweb across a lion's path, — yet orderly, obedient, and respectful 
to authority ; a people, but no populace ; every class in reality existing, 
which the general law of so^ciety acknowledges, except one, — and this 
exception characterizing the whole country. The soil of New England is 
trodden by no slave. In our streets, in our assemblies, in the halls of 
election and legislation, men of every rank and condition meet, and unite 
or divide on other principles, and are actuated by other motives, than 
those growing out of such distinctions. The fears and jealousies, which 
in other countries separate classes of men and make them hostile to each 
other, have here no influence, or a very limited one. Each individual, of 
whatever condition, has the consciousness of living under known laws, 
which secure equal rights, and guarantee to each whatever portion of 
the goods of life, be it great or small, chance, or talent, or industry may 
have bestowed. All perceive that the honors and rewards of society are 
open equally to the fair competition of all; that the distinctions of wealth, 
or of power, are not fixed in families ; that whatever of this nature exists 
to-day, may be changed to-morrow, or, in a coming generation, be abso- 
lutely reversed. Common principles, interests, hopes, and affections, are 
the result of universal education. Such are the consequences of the 
equality of rights, and of the provisions for the general diffusion of 
knowledge and the distribution of intestate estates, established by the 
laws framed by the earliest emigrants to New England. 

If from our cities we turn to survey the wide expanse of the interior, 
how do the effects of the institutions and example of our early ancestors 
appear, in all the local comfort and accommodation which mark the gen- 
eral condition of the whole country ; — unobtrusive, indeed, but substan- 
tial ; in nothing splendid, but in every thing sufficient and satisfactory. 
Indications of active talent and practical energy exist everywhere. With 
a soil comparatively little luxuriant, and in great proportion either rock, 
or hill, or sand, the skill and industry of man are seen triumphing over 
the obstacles of nature; making the rock the guardian of the field; 
moulding the granite, as though it were clay ; leading cultivation to the 
hill-top, and spreading over the arid plain, hitherio unknown and unan- 



EARLY HISTORY. 25 



licipated harvests. The lofty mansion of the prosperous adjoins ihe 
lowly ilwelling of the husbandman; their respective inmates are in the 
daily interchange of civility, sympathy, and respect. Enterprise and skill, 
which once held chief aflinity with the ocean or the sea-board, now begin 
to delight the interior, haunting our rivers, where the music of the water- 
fall, with powers more attractive than those of the fabled harp of Orpheus, 
collects around it intellectual man and material nature. Towns and 
cities, civilized and happy communities, rise, like exhalations, on rocks 
and in forests, till the deep and far-resounding voice of the neighbouring 
torrent is itself lost and unheard, amid the predominating noise of suc- 
cessful and rejoicing labor. 

What lessons has New England, in every period of her history, given 
to the world! What lessons do her condition and example still give! 
How unprecedented ; yet how practical ! How simple; yet how power- 
ful ! She has proved, that all the variety of Christian seels may live to- 
gether in harmony, under a government which allows equal privileges to 
all, — exclusive preeminence to none. She has proved, that ignorance 
among the multitude is not necessary to order, but that the surest basis of 
perfect order is the information of the people. She has proved the old 
maxim, that " No government, except a despotism with a standing army, 
can subsist where the people have arms," is false. Ever since the first 
settlement of the country, arms have been required to be in the hands of 
the whole multitude of New England ; yet the use of them in a private 
quarrel, if it have ever happened, is so rare, that a late writer, of great 
intelligence, who had passed his whole life in New England, and pos- 
sessed extensive means of information, declares, "I know not a single 
instance of it." She has proved, that a people, of a character essentially 
military, may subsist without duelling. New England has, at all times, 
been distinguished, both on the land and on the ocean, for a daring, fear- 
less, and enterprising spirit ; yet the same writer asserts, that during the 
whole period of her existence, her soil has been disgraced but by five 
duels, and that only tico of these were fought by her native inhabiiants! 
Perhaps this assertion is not minutely correct. There can, however, be 
no question, that it is sufficiently near the truth to justify the position 
for which it is here adduced, and which the history of New England, as 
well as the experience of her inhabitants, abundantly confirms; that, in 
the present and in every past age, the spirit of our in.siiiutions has, to 
every important practical purpose, annihilated the spirit of duelling. 

Such are the true glories of the institutions of our fathers I Such the 
natural fruits of that patience in toil, that frugality of disposition, that 
temperance of habit, that general diffusion of knowledge, and that sense 
of religious responsibility, inculcated by the precepts, and exhibited in 
the example of every generation of our ancestors ! 

What then, in conclusion of this great topic, are the elements of the 



26 BOSTON. 



liberty, prosperity, and safety, which the inhabitants of New England at 
this day enjoy ? In what language, and concerning what comprehensive 
truths, does the wisdom of former times address the inexperience of the 
future ? 

Those elements are simple, obvious, and familiar. 

Every civil and religious blessing of New England, all that here gives 
happiness to human life, or security to human virtue, is alone to be per- 
petuated in the forms and under the auspices of a free commonwealth. 

The commonwealth itself has no other strength or hope, than the in- 
telligence and virtue of the individuals that compose it. 

For the intelligence and virtue of individuals, there is no other human 
assurance than laws providing for the education of the whole people. 

These laws themselves have no strength, or efficient sanction, except in 
the moral and accountable nature of man, disclosed in the records of the 
Christian's faith ; the right to read, to construe, and to judge concerning 
which, belongs to no class or cast of men, but exclusively to the indi- 
vidual, who must stand or fall by his own acts and his own faith, and not 
by those of another. 

The great comprehensive truths, written in letters of living light on 
every page of our history, — the language addressed by every past age of 
New England to all future ages is this ; — Human happitiess has no per- 
fect security but freedom ; — freedom none but virtue; — virtue none 
but knowledge ; and neither freedom, 7ior virtue, nor knowledge has 
any vigor, or immortal hope, except in the principles of the Christian 
faith and in the sanctions of the Christian religion. 

Men of Massachusetts ! Citizens of Boston ! descendants of the early 
emigrants! consider your blessings ; consider your duties. You have an 
inheritance acquired by the labors and sufferings of six successive gener- 
ations of ancestors. They founded the fabric of your prosperity, in a 
severe and masculine morality ; having intelligence for its cement, and 
religion for its groundwork. Continue to build on the same foundation, 
and by the same principles ; let the extending temple of your country's 
freedom rise, in the spirit of ancient times, in proportions of intellectual 
and moral architecture, — just, simple, and sublime. As from the first 
to this day, let New England continue to be an example to the world, of 
the blessings of a free government, and of the means and capacity of man 
to maintain it. And, in all times to come, as in all limes past, may Bos- 
ton be among the foremost and the boldest to exemplify and uphold what- 
ever constitutes the prosperity, the happiness, and the glory of New 
England. 



NOTICES 

OF 
PROMINENT EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF 

BOSTON. 



[The following' narrative ii but little more than an abbreviated compilation from 
Snow's History of Boston. Holmes's Annals, and other works, liave been occasioii- 
ully consulted.] 

If the city of Boston, and the surrounding communities, in their 
present state of population and general prosperity, are regarded as the 
successful issue of a great enterprise, conceived in the highest spirit of 
adventure, demanding in its commencement courage to overcome great 
obstacles and fortitude to endure sharp trials, and in its progress, judg- 
ment, energy, and that perseverance which keeps honor bright, its his- 
tory, however briefly written, must possess attractions for the contempla- 
tive mind. 

If, as has been observed, the relation is deficient in all those mysterious 
and uncertain traditions which claim to invest the local histories of the 
Old World with the charms of poetry, it will not be denied by those who 
trace the present state of things from its hunible beginning, and consider 
how comparatively short has been the 

" blossoming time, 
That from the seedness the bare fallow brings 
To teeming foison," 

that it abounds in features of development, and in incidents, which are to 
be counted among those truths more strange than fiction, upon which the 
thoughts and sympathies dwell, not with the evanescent feelings stimu- 
lated by tales of fancy, but with profound and lasting emotions of wonder 
and gratitude. 

To those who are familiarly acquainted with the nature of our people, 
and our city's institutions, and are fitly imbued with the spirit of the 
early founders of this republic, it must be always a pleasing occupation to 



28 HTSTORV OF 



pass in review the various forms under whicli our social and political life 
has been unfolded here, in what may with propriety be called the seat 
and centre of its being. In Boston may be found the most perfect mani- 
festation of the New England character throughout all its phases, from 
the severe and exclusive Puritan, contending for "freedom to worship 
God," whose contest would never have witnessed its present triumph 
had he been less stern and exacting, that is, less suited to the age in 
which he wrought, to the present advocate and practiser of universal 
toleration in religion and opinion, — the latter being the natural and 
rigljtful descendant of the former, — the liberty and independence once 
established (and for the first time on earth), expanding its broad wings to 
shield all sects and cover all doctrines. 

But while this subject must be one of special interest to Americans, 
and above all to the people of New England, still observers of less pene- 
tration, such as regard the history of this city only with that general 
concern belonging to the affairs of men, cannot fail on looking back to 
discern and follow out a natural and necessary sequence of events, ac- 
cording to which the present extent and flourishing condition of Boston 
and its dependencies are only the natural expansion of an originally 
vigorous root. 

On the 19th of March, 1627-28, the council of Plymouth, in England, 
sold to some knights and gentlemen about Dorchester, that part of New 
England which lies between a great river called Merrimack, and a certain 
other river there called Charles. But shortly after this, these honorable 
persons were brought into an acquaintance with several other persons of 
quality about London, who associated with them, and jointly petitioned 
the king to confirm their right by a new patent, which he did in the fourth 
year of his reign. This patent, or charter, was dated on the 4lh of 
March ; and it is singular that this day, which dates the beginning of 
the first social contract in the history of mankind based upon self govern- 
ment, and the broadest principles of civil and religious liberty, should 
still be preserved in our Federal Constitution as the period of those peace- 
ful changes in the administration of the affairs of the nation, which, in 
their constant recurrence, demonstrate that self-government is the secret 
of society, — that democracy is successful. 

This charter constituted the associates, and all others who should be 
admitted into the association, one corporate body politic, by the name of 
the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England. 
Their general business was to be disposed and ordered by a court com- 
posed of a Governor, Deputy-Governor, and eighteen assistants. Be- 
tween the lime of the purchase above mentioned, and the grant of the 
charier, one expedition of fifty or sixty persons, and another of three 
hundred and eighty-six men, women, and children, were sent out by the 
company, and formed establishments at Charlestown and Salem. Adven- 



BOSTON. 2'.> 



liirers from the latter place were well received by the Indian Chief Saga- 
more, the Sachem of that tribe, who is described as a man of gentle and 
good disposition. 

The success attending these plantations, encouraged the company to 
persevere, and several of the principal members entered into an agree- 
ment to remove with themselves and families, provided the whole govern- 
ment, together with the patent, was legally transferred and established lo 
remain in perpetuity with themselves, and the future inhabitants and free 
associates of the settlement. 

This last proposition was accepted with hesitation, but finally acceded 
to as an inducement to gentlemen of wealth and quality to embark in tiie 
expedition with their property and families. Without retaining in their 
own hands the administration of the government, they would not have 
consented to risk their fortunes and happiness on such an arduous and 
distant enterpri.se. It is not probable that the full importance of this 
measure was foreseen at the time of its adoption, even by our fathers. It 
was demanded as a means of personal security and independence, and 
was characteristic of that self-respect, personal pride of character, and 
jealous love of liberty, which, after their religious zeal, most distinguished 
the founders of the city. Who, however, not endowed with the gift of 
prophecy, could have anticipated all the consequences which lay intreas- 
ured in those weak beginnings? 

But, if the men of that day, the kings and statesmen, the wise men of 
England, — wise in their generation only, we mean the hierarchy, — 
were utterly unconscious of the momentous results involved in their de- 
cisions, we, who live to witness those results, find no difficulty in tracing 
them back, through the progress of things, to their first elements. We 
must remember that the leading men in this enterprise were wealthy, and 
well connected at home ; that they had honorable pursuits, and were in 
possession of ' fruitful lands, stately buildings, goodly orchards and gar- 
dens ' in the country of their birth. They are spoken of as "persons of 
quality and distinction." They were, moreover, "an excellent set of 
real and living Christians." By separating themselves from all the estab- 
lished societies of the Old World, and occupying a fresh and open field 
of action in the New World, they were able, without obstacle or inter- 
ruption, to create a community embodying and exemplifying all their 
peculiar opinions and traits of character. 

The change in the affairs of the company before spoken of, occurred in 
August, 1629, and on the 20th of the ensuing October, a special court was 
held for the election of a Governor, Deputy-Governor, and Assistants, from 
among those who were about to emigrate. Mr. John Winthrop was 
chosen Governor, and Mr. Thomas Dudley, Deputy. 

Preparations were immediately begun for the embarkation of a great 
colony, and they were carried on with such vigor, that by the end of 



•JO HISTORY OF 



February, 1630, a fleet of fourteen sail was furnished with men, women, 
and children, with all the necessaries of life, with roechanics, and with 
people of good condition, wealth, and quality, to make a firm plantation. 
The number of the colonists embarked in this fleet was fifteen hundred, 
and the cost of the outfit of the expedition was about one million of dol- 
lars, at that time a very large sum. On the 14th of June, the Admiral 
of the New England fleet arrived at Salem. In the vessel that bore that 
distinction, Governor Winthrop and Mr. Isaac Johnson came passengers, 
and the Governor has left a journal containing a circumstantial account 
of the voyage, one event of which was, that the ship was cleared for 
action to engage a fleet of Dunkirkers, as they were thought to be ; but 
the Dunkirkers proved to be their own friends, and so their "fear and 
danger was turned into mirth and friendly entertainment." 

During this voyage, very strict attention to religious duties was ob- 
served, and the most rigid discipline enforced. 

The original design, that the principal part of the colony should settle 
in one place, to be called Boston, was frustrated by various circumstances. 
Governor Winthrop himself stopped at Charlestown, where several Eng- 
lish were already established; detachments that had arrived in other ves- 
sels before the Governor, set themselves down at Watertown and Dorches- 
ter. Salem was already inhabited, thougli the colony was found in a sad 
condition. Above eighty deaths had occurred the winter before, and 
many of the survivors were weak and sickly. 

The first intention of the Governor, and those with him, was to make 
Charlestown their permanent abode, but from this he was deterred by the 
increasing sickness there also, attributed to the bad water, for as yet the 
inhabitants had found only one brackish spring, and that not accessible 
except when the tide was down. Besides those settled at Charlestown, 
there was one Englishman of the name of Samuel Maverick living on 
Noddle's Island, now East Boston, who made some figure in the history 
of the after times; and another named William Blackstone, an Episcopal 
clergyman, who resided in a small cottage on the south side of Charles 
River, near a point on the western side of a peninsula, which, at high 
water, appeared like two islands. The Indians called this peninsula 
Shawmut, but the English settlers had given it the name of Trimoun- 
TAiN, on account of its presenting the appearance, when seen from 
Charlestown, of three large hills, on the westernmost of which were three 
eminences, whilst on the brow of one of these eminences appeared three 
hillocks. This singular repetition of the same form gave rise, probably, 
to the name of Trimountain. 

Mr. Blackstone, taking compassion upon the unhappy condition of the 
colony, invited the Governor and his friends to remove to his side of the 
river; and in August, Mr. Johnson, an influential and leading man, to- 
gether with several others, began a settlement. But previous to this, on 



BOSTON. 31 



ihe 30ih day of July, Governor W^ithrop, Deputy-Governor Dudley, Mr. 
Johnson, and the Rev. Mr. Wilson, signed a covenant in the following 
terms : — 

" In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in obedience to his holy 
will and divine ordinance, 

" We, whose names are here underwritten, being by his most wise and 
good providence brought together into this part of America, in the Hay of 
Massachu.setts, and desirous to unite into one congregation or church, 
under the Lord Jesus Christ, our head, in such sort, as becomelh all 
those whom he hath redeemed and sanctified to himself, do hereby 
solemnly and religiously, as in his most holy presence, promise and bind 
ourselves to walk in all our ways according to the rule of the gospel, and 
in all sincere conformity to his holy ordmances, and in mutual love and 
respect to each other so near, as God shall give us grace." 

Others were soon added to this church. Tlie covenant itself, and the 
immediate attention of the prominent individuals of the colony to re- 
ligion, and the establishment of a visible church, are introduced as sig- 
nificant indications of the true spirit of the time, and the objects of the 
expedition. 

The first meeting of the Court of Assistants under the authority of the 
new patent was held on board the ship Arabella, at Charlestown, on the 
23d of August, at which the first question propounded was/ — How shall 
the ministers be maintained? That was met by ordering that houses 
I should be built for them at the public charge, and th*, their salaries 
should be establi-shed. The minister at Waterlown, Mr.lPhillips, was to 
have thirty pounds a year, and Mr. Wilson twenty pounds a year, until 
his wife came over. All this was at the common charge, and Governor 
Winthrop undertook to see it executed. 

At the second meeting of the Court of Assistants, tWe name of Boston 
was given to the settlement of Trimountain ; this took place on the 7th 
day of September, 16.30, which is the date of the foundation of the city, 
now preserved on the city seal. It is understood that this name was 
selected partly in compliment to the Rev. John Cotton, at that time an 
eminent dissenting preacher at Boston, in Lincolnshire, who wais soon 
expected to join the colony, and partly because Boston had been one of 
the noted scenes of persecution of the Puritans, and partly again because 
several of the first settlers were born there. The name of Boston wa-s 
originally designed for the chief city, and it is not improbable that Win- 
throp and Johnson had the sagacity to perceive that the peninsula pos- 
sessed all the physical features suited to great commercial prosperity and 
enterprise. 

Having now brought our fathers to the permanent earthly home of 
themselves and their posterity, let us endeavor to create to our minds 
some idea of the state and appearance of this now world- renowned spot. 



32 



HISTORY OF 



when it was in a state of alnnost savage nature, only inhabited by Aborigi- 
nal Indians. We look in vain for any recognizable trace of this period in 
the present condition of the region. The hills of Boston have been dug 
down and carried away for the convenience of building, and the loose 
material thus collected has been used to fill up large tracts of marsh and 
mud-lands ; woods have been cut down on the main land and the islands ; 
the forest of trees is supplanted by the forest of masts, the forest of na- 
ture by that of art ; and in every direction the tokens of a highly flour- 
ishing and populous society have usurped the seat of a comparatively 
bleak solitude. But the imagination of an agreeable writer, Mr. Lothrop 
Motley, of Boston, has supplied us with a picture of the original Shaw- 
mui, both graphic and natural, in his work called " Merry Mount," to 
which we must refer the reader. 

The third Court of As.sistanls sat at Charlestown on the 28lh of Septem- 
ber. The first General Court of the Colony convened at Boston on the 
19th of October, every person being present who was free of the corpora- 
tion. 

We will complete our picture of the settlement by mentioning some of 
the events of the year 1630, which, in its infant state, it was thought 
worth while to record. 

" Oct. 25. The Governour began to discourage the practice of drink- 
ing toasts at table: so it grew by little and little to be disused. 

"1631. March 4. Nicholas Knopp was fined five pounds for taking 
upon him to cure the scurvy by a water of no value, which he sold at a 
very dear rate ; to be imprisoned till he pay his fine, or give security for 
it, or else be whipped, and be liable to any man's action, of whom he had 
received money for the said water. 

"May 18. Election day at Boston; Winthrop and Dudley are re- 
chosen by general consent. 

" July 4. The Governour built a bark at Mystick, which was launched 
this day, and called the Blessing of the Bay, In the course of the season 
this vessel made several coasting trips. 

" 26. Monthly trainings are ordered." 

It would be strange, indeed, to compare these incidents with those that 
now mark the progress of the limes ; to contrast, for e.xample, the build- 
ing of the little boat, the " Blessing of the Bay," the solitary instance of 
that year, with the annual productions of the teeming ship-yards that 
now line the banks of the Mystic, either in number or size, 

" Your argosies with portly sail, — 
Like signiors and rich burghers on the flood, 
Or, as it were, the pageants of the sea " ; — 

to set the single voyage to Rhode Island to trade for a hundred bushels of 

corn, by the side of that commerce which has peopled the wide waste of 

j waters from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and now surrounds the globe with 

! ■ 



BOSTON. :{3 



a consianl procession of the whitewingeil messeiigera of peace and plen- 
ty. We may observe, thai in tlie above record we have a picture in little 
of the modern days in some respects. There was a temperance move- 
ment, and there was an election day, and, moreover, there was quackery ; 
but the most noticeable thing is the ordering of the monthly trainings. 

This was the needful preparation for coming events ; the first manifes- 
tation of that military spirit, without which we should have inherited 
colonial submission, instead of national independence. The spirit of our 
fathers, happily, still shows itself in us in this, as in other respects. 

The year of the foundation of the city closed with lamentations. Sev- 
eral persons of distinction died from sickness occasioned by the residence 
in Charlestown. The chief of these victims was Mr. Johnson, the most 
wealthy of the planters, and second to none in ability, piety, and devo- 
tion to the interests of the colony ; and his wife, Lady Arabella, daughter 
of the Earl of Lincoln. 

Mr. Johnson has been called the father of Boston, he having persuaded 
the Governor to cross the river. He supplied many persons with the 
means of joining the colony, and bequeathed a portion of his large prop- 
erly (his estates lay in Rutland, Northamptonshire, and Lincolnshire) to 
the company. His lot in Boston was the square bounded by Tremont and 
Washmgton, Court and School Streets, in the southwest corner of which 
he was buried by his own direction, and such was the strong attachment 
he had inspired that people ordered their bodies to be laid near his ; this 
gave rise to the present chapel burial-ground. 

The death of Lady Arabella Johnson appears to have been regarded as 
an irretrievable calamity. She was the pride of the colony ; and among 
several other women of distinction who bravely encountered the perils 
of emigration, she was conspicuous for her devotedness. Her language 
to her husband places her in the class of those great and true characters 
from among whom the master-painter of the world has selected his im- 
mortal portraits. 

'Whithersoever your fatall destinie shall dryve you, eyther by the 
furious waves of the great ocean, or by the many-folde and horrible dan- 
gers of the lande, I wyl surely beare you company. There can no peryll 
chaunce to me so terrible, nor any kinde of death so cruell, that shall 
not be much easier for me to abyde, than to live so farre separate from 
you.' 

A true devoted pilgrim is not weary 
To measure kingdoms with his feeble steps; 
Much less shall she, that hath love's wings to fly ; 
And when the flight is made to one so dear. 

The danger of famine added to the other distresses of the colonists. 
Great snflleriug on this account was endured between the 24th of Decem- 
ber, when the winter set in, and the 5th of February, 1631, when Captain 



34 HISTORY OP 



Pierce arrived in the ship Lion, laden with provisions, and relieved them 
from their apprehension. 

In this ship came over the wife and children of Governor Winthrop, 
who were received with the first of those public celebrations since be- 
come 80 frequent, and the Rev. John Eliot. In February, 1631 , occurred the 
first fire. On the 8th of May, 1632, a General Court was held in Boston, 
at which, after reelecting the Governor and Deputy, it was ordered that 
two men should be chosen from each town to confer with the Court of 
Assistants. This order was the first step towards a house of representa- 
tives. In August of this year, the congregation of Mr. Wilson, who 
had returned from England, began the erection of a house for public wor- 
ship, and one for the residence of their pastor; and in the autumn the 
first separate Congregational church was formed in Charleslown. Ai the 
same time a house of correction was built; a house for the beadle (the 
sheriff); and a fortification on Fort Hill, then Corn Hill, was carried 
rapidly forward. In these occurrences we witness the energy and decis- 
ion with which our fathers proceeded at once to organize the community, 
and lay the basis of a permanent settlement. 

The original owner of the peninsula, Mr. Blackstone, either preferring 
solitude or having no sympathy with the colonists, removed from Boston, 
having received thirty pounds for his rights in the place. He was an 
eccentric person, and when urged to join one of the churches, declined, 
saying, " I came from England because I did not like the Lord Bishops ; 
but I cannot join with you because I would not be under the Lord Breth- 
ren." His library, which contained one hundred and eighty-six volumes, 
proves him to have been a man of culture, and Mather speaks of him as 
a ' godly Episcopalian.' 

In September, 1633, Mr. Cotton, to the great delight of the people, ar- 
rived from England. 

Trading was begun already, and so well established that Thursday was 
appointed market-day ; the first house of entertainment, and the first 
shop, were opened in Boston. We get an idea of the progress of the 
colony from the fact that even at this early period Mr. Cotton thought it 
necessary to preach against luxuries and expensive fashions. Gold and 
silver laces, girdles, hat-bands, embroidered caps, large veils, and large 
sleeves, were specially condemned by the Court ; and a sermon of Mr. 
Cotton, in Salem, led to" the entire disuse of veils by the women. This 
indicated the reign not only of comfort, but of luxury. 

The government of the town was placed, from the beginning, in the 
hands of individuals selected for the purpose by vote, but the name of 
Selectmen was not given to them till 1641. 

In May, 1634, the fort was completed, and ordnance was mounted, and 
in the same year the first Beacon was set on the Sentry Hill to give 
notice to the country of any danger. This year was also marked by a 



BOSTON. 35 



resolution of the General Court, appointing a committee to draw up the 
first body of laws of the colony. 

Ships continued to arrive from the mother country. Durin;^ one week 
in May, six ships with passengers and cattle anchored in Boston. On 
the 6th of October, 1635, there arrived two other ships; in one of which 
was I\Ir. Wilson, the pastor of the Boston church, and in the other the 
famous Henry Vane. The celebrity of the latter, after his return to 
England, during the civil wars and the reign of Cromwell, as well as his 
conduct while here, give interest to that portion of the colonial history 
with which he was connected. At the time of his arrival he was only 
twenty-three years of age, but such was his ability, and religious fervor, 
that he soon acquired a controlling influence in the affairs of the colony, 
and in May, 1636, was elected Governor. His administration was at first 
very satisfactory and popular, but towards the end of the year the people 
grew weary and discontented. About this time there occurred a schism 
in the church, which was attributed in some degree to the character of 
the Governor. A Mrs. Hutchinson, wife of a gentleman of good reputa- 
tion in England, who, after he came to Boston, served several times as a 
Representative of the town in the General Court, established religious 
meetings at her house, (in imitation of those held by the men), for the dis- 
cussion of sermons and doctrines. The meetings of the men had hitherto 
excluded the other sex. . 

Mrs. Hutchinson's meetings were well attended, and at first were ap- 
proved by the community ; but, as might have been expected, they soon 
resulted in the dissemination of distinctions and dissensions, and the dis- 
turbance of public and private peace. Mrs. Hutchinson only allowed two 
or three of the ministers to be sound men, under the covenant of grace; 
the rest she condemned as under the covenant of works. Several new 
tenets were advanced by these enthusiasts ; one of which was that cer- 
tain persons might be favored with immediate revelations of the Divine 
will, which deserved to be regarded as equally sacred with the Scriptures 
themselves. Of course, Mrs. Hutchinson was one of those individuals 
who not only might be so distinguished, but actually had enjoyed Divine 
inspiration. Another one of tliose tenets was the personal union of the 
Holy Ghost with a justified person. It was not long before private dis- 
agreements resolved themselves into open quarrels. On one side of the 
controversy were ranged Mr. Winthrop and Mr. Wilson; on the other 
Mr. Cotton and Governor Vane. Precisely as in the controversies of the 
present day, differences of opinion engendered pride and angry feelings, 
and these in turn gave rise to bitter criminations that could neither be re- 
called nor forgotten. The most excited of the agitators, then, as now, 
assumed the most unquestionable right of judgment, not of the conduct 
alone, but of the thoughts and motives of their opponents, which they 
naturally foimd to he whollv cen.^nrahle; claimins for themselves a 



36 HISTORY OF 



special portion, at the same lime, of that charity tiial is not piitFed up, 
that thinketh no evil, and, above all, that rejoiceth in the truth. After 
much difficulty, and unprofitable discussion, the church of Boston found 
itself opposed to all the other churches in the country, and ministers and 
magistrates everywhere arrayed against her. Finally the Court, in a 
formal manner, called in the aid of the clergy to assist in the extermina- 
tion of heresy. In the course of the conference growing out of this call, 
Mr. Peters, who seems to have been a man of courage as well as penetra- 
tion, took occasion to remind Governor Vane that before his coming the 
churches were at peace ; he counselled the Governor to remember that 
his own experience was too short to be trusted, and advised him to be- 
ware of the hasty and peremptory conclusions into which he was liable 
to be betrayed by his temper. 

No event in the history of Boston appears to have engaged the pas- 
sions of the people more than this Antinomian controversy, as it was 
called. At the next election Mr. Vane and his supporters were left entire- 
ly out of office, and the former, having completed the breach of inter- 
course between Governor Winthrop and himself, sailed for England in 
August, 1637. This departure deprived Mrs. Hutchinson, notwithstand- 
ing her revelations, of her chief support. She, however, continued her 
lectures, for which she found ample encouragement in the uproar and 
disturbance thay created. A Synod was held at Newtown to purify 
Boston from heresy, which was unanimous in its recommendations of 
restoration to peace, but in vain. The General Court then took up the 
subject; several of the most offensive disturbers of the harmony of 
society were necessarily expelled, for it was now evident that it was their 
determination not to desist from agitation till they had produced a divis- 
ion of the colony. In 1638, on the 22d of March, Mrs. Hutchinson wa.s 
" cast out of the church for impeniiently persisting in a manifest lie." 
In the year 1642, she, and her family consisting of sixteen persons, were 
all, with one exception, killed by the Indians in the Dutch country, where 
she had removed. The exception was a daughter, carried into captivity. 

The first military expedition of the colony was fitted out in 1637. 
against the Pequod Indians, which was successful. The Rev. Mr. Wil- 
son accompanied it, as chaplain, with much faith and joy. The year 
after this expedition, the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company was 
formed, having at first the character of an association for improvement 
in iTiilitary exercises. 

In 1644, a separation took place between the deputies and magistrates, 
and the two houses sat apart, their proceedings being communicated to 
each other in a parliamentary way. This was the origin of our present 
Senate. The revolution going on in England now arrested the attention 
of the colonial government. The authorities here, acquiesced in the sue 
cessive changes of government that occurred during the civil wars in 



BOSTON. 37 



England, and in 1644, an order was passed condemning any one who 
should aiienipl to make a party in favor of the king. Very soon after, a 
ereal tumult was raised hy the seizure of a Bristol ship in the harbor, by 
the captain of a London ship acting under the authority of a commis- 
sion from liie Parliament. This affair, in which may be discerned the 
lirst demonstration of the Bo.ston spirit of liberty, and determination to 
maintain its chartered rights, owing to the prudence of the magistrates, 
terminated peaceably. 

'• III the beginning of the year 1619, Boston suffered a mournful loss in 
the death of Governor Winthrop. From the first moment of placing his 
foot on the peninsula he had been its firmest friend. His resolute perse- 
verance in oppnsition to Dudley's plan of establishing the capital at Cam- 
bridge, laid the foundation of Boston's greatness, and the endeavors of 
Kiidicott and his party to obtain the same honor for Salem, were rendered 
unavailing through the wisdom and prudence of Winthrop. He was one 
of the earliest Selectmen, and frequently served on that board. In almost 
every event of any moment we find him bearing pan, and except for one 
short period he was an oracle and favorite with the people. Or, as Cotton 
expresses it, he was their friend in all things by his counsel, a help for 
their bodies hy physic, and in their estates by law. 

'• He was a pattern to the people of that frugality, decency, and tem- 
perance, which were necessary in their circumstances, and even denied 
himself inany of the elegancies and superlhiilies of life, which he had en- 
joyed elsewhere. This he did, both that he might set others a proper ex- 
airiple, and be the better enabled to exercise that liberality in which he 
delighted. His charity indeed was unbounded. He would often send his 
servants on some errand, at meal times, to the houses of his neighbors, 
10 see hmv they were provided with fond, and if there was a deficiency 
A-oiikl supply them fnmi his own table. He mingled with his sterner vir- 
tues a happy portion of well-timed wit." 

His remains were deposited in the family tomb on the north side of the 
chapel burial-ground. His portrait is preserved in the Land-Office at the 
Slate House. 

The death of Governor Winthrop may be marked as an epoch in the 
history of Boston. 

The population of the town had greatly increased ; the extension of 
trade had led to the construction of wharves and other improvements; 
the public instruction of youth was instituted; and a regular system of 
police established. 

With regard to the trade, it must excite not a little surprise to learn 
that even as early as this, the surplus produce of the land was sent to 
Virginia, the West Indies, Great Britain, Portugal, Spain, and IMadeira; 
in exchange for which were received the fruits, wines, and manufactures 
of those countries. Mr. Hugh Peters is noticed in Winthrop's Journal 



38 HISTORY OP 



as laboring with great success to proinole the commercial spirit, especial- 
ly in Salem, which owed her first distinction to his counsel. But as the 
Bostouians of that period were strictly a church-going people, the most 
satisfactory idea of the advance of population will be furnished by the 
dates of the erection of the churches, a few of which may be given in 
chronological order. 

The second meeting-house in the town was built al the head of the 
North Square, in 1649. 

In 1669, a third house of worship was erected on the spot where the 
Old South now stands. 

And by the close of the century (169S), the seventh religious society, 
which was the fourth Congregational or Brattle Street Church, was formed 
in Boston. 

The first important event in the colony that followed the death of 
Governor Winthrop, was the death of Mr. Cotton. His body ' was most 
honorably interred, with a most numerous concourse of people, and the 
most grievous and solemn funeral that was ever known, perhaps, upon 
the American strand ; and the lectures in his church, the whole winter, 
were but so many funeral sermons upon the death and worth of this ex- 
traordinary person.' His memory did not receive so much attention from 
his contemporaries without his deserving it, for in the language of the 
" Old Men's Tears," he was in his life, light, and learning, the brightest 
and most shining star in their firmament. Others of the first settlers 
passed from the active scenes of life about this time ; among them Captain 
Keayne, who died as late as 1656. He was the father of the Great Artil- 
lery ; and is distinguished among the early benefactors of the town, a 
class of public-spirited and benevolent men for which Boston has been 
famous beyond all other places. His will contains bequests to Harvard 
College, to his pastor, to the Artillery Company, to the poor of the 
church, and those of the town, for the foundation of a library, and to the 
free school 

The year 1653 is rendered memorable by the first great fire. In the year 
1655, Mrs. Ann Hibbins was tried, and in 1656 executed, for witchcraft. 
Her husband, who died in 1654, was an agent for the colony in England, 
for several years one of the Assistants, and a merchant of note in the 
town. The worst ofl^ence of this miserable old lady seems to have been, 
that the loss of property had so soured her disposition as to render her 
odious to her neighbors. This was the third execution for witchcraft in 
New England. 

In 1657-9, the first town-house was built. An examination of the 
Probate records of this period shows that the inhabitants of the town 
were abundantly supplied with the elegancies and luxuries of life, in fur- 
niture, dress, the table, and in servants. 

We have already observed that the people of this colony sympathized 



BOSTON. 39 



ii\ the revolutionary moverneiils io Englaad, and notwithstanding that a 
very loyal address was sent out upon the resioration of ihe monarchy, the 
complaints, long before begun on account of independence of the colony, 
now found an opportunity to make themselves heard. Tiie reauit of this 
clamor was the appointment, by Charles the Second, of a commission to 
hear and determine all matters in dispute, and to restore peace to the 
country. Four commissioners arrived in July, 1664, with the.se powers, 
one of whom, Samuel Maverick, Esq., was an implacable enemy of the 
colony. One of them became involved in a quarrel with a constable, by 
the name of Mason, and so unfavorable was their report, tliat the king de- 
manded that five persons should be sent out to answer for the conduct of 
the colony. This was the apparent beginning of those troubles which 
ended in the Revolution, and of which Boston was the principal theatre. 

In the interval between the ne.\t period of disturbance with the mother 
country, and this dale, the Baptists, who had suffered fines, whipping, 
imprisonment, and banishment, for their faith's sake, obtamed a finally 
permanent footing in Boston, for which they were indebted to the inter- 
ference of the government at home, and not to any liberality on the part 
of the descendants of the original settlers. 

The death of Mr. Wilson, the first pa!9torof the First Church, occurred 
in 1667. He was in his seventy -ninth year. He left the reputation of an 
able, pious, amiable, and benevolent man. 

In 1675, the Indian war with King Philip broke out, in which Boston 
necessarily took an active part. Several companies of horse and foot 
joined the body of Massachusetts and Plymouth forces, and contributed 
to the success of the campaign. 

One of the Indian chiefs, John Monacho, or one-eyed John, had threat- 
ened to burn down the town ; but he was caught and hung at the town's 
end in September, 1676. In the same year, another great conflagration 
destroyed forty -three dwelling-houses, some other buildings, and a meet- 
ing-house. 

In 1679, the first fire-engine was procured, and the first fire company 
organized, the members of which were then, as now, exempted from 
training. Another terrible fire broke out at midnight, on the 8ih of Au- 
gust of this year, and converted the town into a scene of desolation. 
Eighty and more dwelling-houses, above seventy warehouses, and several 
vessels with their cargoes, were consumed. The loss was estimated at 
.£200,000. and it was supposed to be the work of incendiaries. 
I After this calamity, a law was made to prevent the erection of wooden 
buildings, either houses or stores. 

The old house now standing at the corner of Ann Street and Market 
Square, a picture of which we give on the next page, is one of the few 
specimens which remain to us, of the architecture of that time. It was 
built in 16S0, soon after this fire. 



40 



HISTORY OP 




'' •--•^^-^^ft„W.:ai•'^•^--I^- - -^'■. ':: r- r- 



" The peaks of the roof remain precisely as they were first erected, the 
frame and external appearance never having been altered. The timber 
used in the building was principally oak, and, where it has been kept dry, 
is perfectly sound and intensely hard. The outside is covered with plas- 
tering, or what is commonly called roughcast. But instead of pebbles, 
which are generally used at the present day to make a hard surface on 
the mortar, broken glass was used. This glass appears like that of com- 
mon junk bottles, broken into pieces of about half an inch diameter, the 
sharp corners of which penetrate the cement in such a manner, that this 
great lapse of years has had no perceptible effect upon them. Tiie figures 
1680 were impressed into the rough-cast to show the year of its erec- 
tion, and are now perfectly legible. This surface was also variegated with 
ornamental squares, diamonds, and flowers-deluce. The building is only 
two stories high, and is about thirty-two feet long and seventeen wide; 
yet tradition informs us that it was once the residence of two respectable 
families, and the front part was at the same lime occupied for two shops 
or stores." 

In 1681, the Council granted an act of incorporation to the projectors 
and proprietors of the old loharves ; one of the principal objects of which, 
so far as the town was interested, was protection against the ships of an 
enemy, that should succeed in passing the Castle. They were never re- 
quire<l for that purpose, and the profits arising from the undertaking were 
so small that the wliarves were suffered to go to decay, and no trace of 



BOSTON. 41 



tliem is now to be seen. Those who are curious in such matters, must 
consult one of the old plans, to understand the nature of the project. 

In 1634, another example was given by the freemen of Boston, of their 
desire and determination to resist to the utmost the attempts to deprive 
them of their charter and privileges, by passing a resolution at a town 
meeting urging the General Court not to submit to a quo warranto issued 
against the charter, which had been brought out by one Edward Ran- 
dolph, a man who had become infamous, and haled by the people as a spy 
upon their liberties. In 16SI, this Randolph obtained a commission from 
the crown as collector and surveyor of the port of Boston, and appears 
not to have been permitted to exercise the duties of his office. 

The fall of the old charter was followed by the appearance of Sir 
Edmund Andros, in 16S6, with a commission from James the Second, con- 
stituting him Governor of the whole country, and empowering him to 
make laws and raise money, without any assembly, or the consent of the 
people. 

He soon showed himself a worthy instrument of his master, and, in 
1GS9, on hearing of the accession of William and Mary, the people of 
Boston seized his Excellency and Council, and put them in confinement. 
The old magistrates were reinstated, and, in 1690, by an order from the 
king approving the course adopted, Sir Edmund waa sent to England. 
This was another instance of the habitual intolerance of wrong, and re- 
sistance to oppression, always displayed by the Bostonians, and was also 
another act of preparation for the Revolution. 

In 1638-9, the first Episcopal church was built; it was a wooden 
building with a steeple, and stood on the ground occupied by the present 
stone chapel. 

In 1694, the Quakers were relieved from persecution so far as to 
venture upon the construction, in Brattle Street, of a place of worship. 
About the same time the French Protestant church was embodied. These 
events are mentioned as illustrations of the increase of population, and 
of the gradual introduction of new people, and consequent growth in 
liberality and religious toleration. 

The Eighteenth Century. 

From the arrival of Sir William Phips, in 1692, as the first Governor 
under the new charter, to the period of the conquest of Canada, the 
colony, and with it the capital, seems to have enjoyed during the greater 
part of the time, a respite from the vexatious troubles that had hitherto 
marked the intercourse with the home government. One or two events 
hapf)ened, to show thlt the spirit and love of independence of the Bos- 
tonians had not altered. But the most interesting incidents during this in- 
terval of sixty-five or seventy years, are those of peaceful progress, only 
interrupted by those devastating fires which were the peculiar evil of the 



42 HISTORY OF 



town. One of these great misfortunes, the sixth in number, occurred on 
the 30th of June, 1691 ; and the seventh in March, 1702. Another greai 
fire, more fatal than the preceding, in 1711, laid in ruins all the houses 
on both sides of Cornhill, from School Street to Dock Square. 

In 1704, the first newspaper, published in the English colonies in North 
America, appeared in Boston. It was printed on half a sheet of pot paper, 
with small pica type, folio, and was entitled, — 

K. IS. ^Cuml). 1. 

The Boston News-Letter. 



3Pu{)lfsf)cti b]) ^utljocitn. 



From ploutJaa?, April 17, to iHoutiai), April 24, 1704. 

The year 1706 is rendered for ever memorable in the annals of Boston, 
as the date of the birth of Benjamin Franklin. 

In 1710, a post-office was established, and a mail ran to Plymoulh and 
Maine once a week, and to New York once a fortnight. 

An evidence of the great increase of commerce is afforded by the law 
passed in 1715, directing the erection of a lighthouse on the southern- 
most part of the Great Brewster Island. For the evidence of the rapid 
augmentation of the number of inhabitants, we shall resort again to the 
multiplication of the churches. 

The society of the new North Church was formed in 1712, and the 
meeting-house dedicated in 1714. The formation of the new South 
Church and society originated in the year following. 

In 1721, the new brick church, as it was called, was dedicated. After 
these, followed the second Episcopal Christ Church, in 1723 ; the Federal 
Street Church in 1729 ; the HoUis Street Church in 1732, the year of its 
completion and dedication; the Trinity Church in 1734; and between 
this period and 1748, were gathered the ninth, tenth, and eleventh Con- 
gregational churches. For all historical details of interest concerning the 
different churches, the reader is referred to a subsequent portion of the 
work. The dates of their foundation are inserted in this place, as one of 
the most accurate and accessible moans of arriving at an estimate of the 
population of the town in its steady advancement. 

On December 21, 1719, the second newspaper published in Boston made 
its appearance, under the title of the Boston Gazette; and the third 
newspaper, called the New England Courant, came out on August 17, 
1721 ; both of them were printed, and the latter published, also, by James 
Franklin. la the Courant appeared the early anonymous pieces of Ben- 
jamin Franklin, which were the first public displays of an intellect that 



BOSTON. 43 



was destined to confer iininorial benefits upon the native land of ila pos- 
sessor, and to gratify and enliijiilen the world. 

We have omitted to mention in chronological order the construction of 
Long Wiiarf in 1709 - 10. an interesting event in the commercial history 
of the town. On the 24ih of February, a great tide occurred, which is 
described, as follows, by Cotton Mather: — 

'• It rose two feet higher than ever had been known unto the country, 
and the city of Boston particularly suffered from it incredible mischiefs 
and losses. It rose two or three feet above tlie famous Long Wharf, and 
flowed over the other wharves and streets, to so surprising an height, that I 
we could sail in boats from the Southern battery to the rise of ground in 
King Street, and from thence to the rise of ground ascending toward the 
North meeting- house. It filled all the cellars, and filled the floors of the 
lower rooms in the houses and warehouses in town." 

The fourth newspaper, styled the New England Weekly Journal, ap- 
peared in March, 1727 ; this also was printed on a half sheet of foolscap 
size, folio. 

In the year 1740, the arrival of the celebrated George Whitefield dis- 
turbed the state of general quiet, which the religious community of Bos- 
ton had enjoyed for fifty years. His powerful preaching revived that 
strictness of principle and zeal in practice for which the first comers were , 
so prominently distinguished. It is said that more than twenty-three I 
thousand persons listened to his farewell sermon on the Common. Vari- I 
ous opinions were expressed as to the good accomplished by his visit, i 
though there is no doubt of the strength and permanency of the impres- 
sion. In the same year, Peter Faneuil proposed to present the town with 
a structure, to be undertaken and completed at his own expense, for a i 
market. The proposal being accepted, it was finished in 1742, and pre- 
sented to the selectmenl. . At a town meeting in July, a committee was , 
appointed " to wait upon Peter Faneuil, and in the name of the town to 
render him their most hearty thanks for so bountiful a gift, with their 
prayers, that this and other expressions of his bounty and charily may j 
be abundantly recompensed with the divine blessing." It was also voted 
to call the hall over the market, '' Faneuil Hall," in honor of the donor, I 
who has thus acquired a world-wide celebrity. Faneuil's death took I 
place in 1743, and a funeral oration, the first oration ever heard within ' 
those walls, destined to echo to the soul-stirring eloquence of so many 
future heroes, statesmen, and orators, was delivered on this occasion. 

In 1747, the old hall w;is burned, and in the year following repaired 
and rebuilt, somewhat on its present much enlarged and improved plan. 
A serious tumult was occasioned the same year, by the impressment of 
some seamen and mechanics by an English squadron lying in the harbor. 
The house of Governor Shirly was attacked, and the mob determined to 
seize and detain the naval officers who were in it. Captain Erskine, of 



44 HISTORY OF 



the Canterbury, and several inferior officers, were secured. Tlie squadron 
was commanded by Commodore Knowles, who afterwards forsook the 
service of his country, and entered into that of the Empress of Russia. 
Notwithstanding the Governor's remonstrances, and representations of the 
confusion and indignation caused by this outrage, the Commodore refused 
all terms of accommodation, and even threatened to bombard the town if 
the officers were not set at liberty. His discretion, or his instinct, per- 
haps, seems to have persuaded him to better counsels. The military 
were called out, and serious consequences were apprehended, when, upon 
the interference of the General Court, which was in session at the time, 
and the cotidemnation in town meeting of the riot, as well as of the act 
of impressment that had given rise to it, the difficulty was reconciled, 
and most, if not all, of the persons impressed were dismissed. 

A most calamitous fire occurred on the 20lh of March, 1759, the loss in 
which was estimated at £ 71,000 ; and another in the month of January, 
1761, causing great damage. The weather was so intensely cold that the 
harbor was frozen over for several days. The interior of Faneuil Hall 
Market was again consumed, but the walls were left standing. It was 
immediately repaired, the General Court granting a lottery for that pur- 
pose. 

We have now arrived at that period of our history, not only the most 
eventful for the city of Boston, but also for the nation and for mankind. 
Between the years 1760 and 1776, were enacted those important scenes, 
which preceded and attended the first steps of the Revolution. 

Boston was the principal theatre of these scenes. Immediately after 
the conquest of Canada in 1759, the home government seemed to be in- 
spired with a blind and headlong spirit of hostility towards the English 
colonies in North America. It is easy to conceive that this spirit had 
its immediate exciting cause in the ditference between the political condi- 
tion of the Canadas themselves, and that of the ancient colonies. The 
former were subject provinces, the conquests of war; the latter were in- 
dependent States, accustomed to recognize no other government than 
their own. The humiliation of the former must have exhibited the pride 
of freedom in the latter in a striking contrast; but, at the same time tliat 
we look to this as an immediate provocation, we must not forget that a 
party had always existed from the year 1692, which o|)posed submission 
to the present char.er, and encouraged, by word and deed, a resolute op- 
position to every seeming act of encroachment upon the privileges con- 
ferred by the first patent. Indeed, as far back as the year 1676, one hun- 
dred years before the Declaialion of Independence, the Court of the 
colony had distinctly announced the fundamental principle of the Revo- 
lution ; that taxation willnout representation was an invasion of the 
rights, liberties, and properly of the subjects of his Majesty. When, 
therefore, at the later period in question, the government of Great Britain 



BOSTON. 



icnewed ils attacks, it encouiUered the resistance, not prompted by sud- 
lieu excitetneiU, Ijut proceeding from a sedate conviction of duty and 
honor, matured through several generations of men. Ignorant or regard- 
less of this, it formed plans for changing their forms of government, 
crippling their trade, and raising revenue by means of taxes laid by Par- 
liament without the consent of the people. Without attempting any 
connected history of the measures by which these objects were to be 
accomplished, it is necessary to refer to them occasionally, in order to 
explain the events we are about to record. 

The order from the Board of Trade, for application for Writs of Assist- 
ance, was, as is well known, the first of these measures. Between that 
time and ilie passage of the Stamp Act, in 1765, ample time was afforded 
to prepare the minds of the people for coming events; and that time was 
well improved. Brave and eloquent leaders were not wanting to direct, 
nor willing and fearless followers to pursue, the course to which freedom 
pointed. 

The appointment of Andrew Oliver, as distributor of stamps for Mass- 
achusetts, occasioned the first popular outbreak of passion proceeding 
from the love of liberty. An effigy of Rlr. Oliver and a boot (the emblem 
of Lord Bute) with the devil peeping out of it, having the Stamp Act in 
his hand, besides various other satirical emblems, were found, at break of 
day, hanging on a large elm tree, at the head of Essex Street, opposite 
Boylslon Market. The Lieutenant-Governor directed the Sheriff to have 
the effigy removed ; but his oliicers reported that it could not be done, 
without peril of their lives. The excitement continued all day. A build- 
ing, intended, as was supposed, for a stamp office, was entirely demol- 
ished. At eleven o'clock at night, the Lieutenant-Governor and Sheriff 
ventured to approach the people, to persuade them to disperse, and were 
received with a volley of stones. The next day the violence was re- 
newed ; the houses of Mr. Storey, Register Deputy of the Admiralty, 
and of Mr. Hallowell, Controller of the Customs, were attacked and in- 
jured. This is the origin of the " Liberty Tree," so dear to every true 
Bostonian. 

The liouse of the Lieutenant-Governor was also attacked. Every thing 
movable was destroyed in a most minute manner, except such things of 
value cis were worth carrying off; among which were £ 1,000 sterling in 
specie, besides a great quantity of family plate, k,c. An attempt was 
made to destroy the house. The next day the streets were found scat- 
tered with money, plate, gold rings, &c. The respectable part of tiie 
community, however, were as far fron) justifying these outrages as they 
were strenuous to oppose the imposition of internal taxes by the authori- 
ty of Parliament. A town-meeting was held the next day, al which the 
citizens expressed thfir detestation of the violent proceedings of llie past 
night, and unanimously voted, that the Selectmen and Magistrates be 



46 



HISTORY OF 



desired to use their utmost endeavors to suppress such disorders for the 
future. Another demonstration of the public feeling followed upon the 
arrival of a quantity of the stamps in the month of September. This 
occurred on the day on which the Stamp Act was to take effect. 

An account of the proceedings of the 1st and 5th of November is to be 
found in the Massachusetts Gazette, from which it appears that several 
obnoxious persons were burnt in effigy in company with figures of the 
pope, the devil, and other effigies of tyranny, oppression, and slavery. 
The whole affair was conducted with great spirit, but without violence. 

In the early part of December, Mr. Oliver was compelled by the Sons 
of Liberty, as they styled themselves, to appear under the Liberty Tree, 
and, in the presence of the Selectmen, merchants, and principal inhabi- 
tants of the town, to make a public resignation, unreserved and un- 
qualified, of his office of Distributor of Stamps. The Liberty Tree be- 
came a sort of idol with the people. On the 14th of February, 1766, it 
was pruned after the best manner, agreeably to a vote, — passed by the 
true born Sons of Liberty, — so that the tree became a great ornament to 
the street. This tree stood at the corner of Essex Street, opposite the 
Boylston Market, and was cut down by the British soldiers while they had 
possession of the city, in the winter of 1775-76, and converted into fuel. 

The 20th of February, being the day fixed for burning one of the Stamp 
Papers in the principal towns in every colony, this ceremony was con- 
ducted in Boston with great decency and good order, and the effigies of 
Bute and Grenville, in full court dress, were added to the bonfire. On 
the 24th, a vessel arrived from Jamaica with stamp clearances. The 
Sons of Liberty directed one of their number 'to go and demand in 
their name those marks of Creole slavery.' Upon being received they 
were exposed at the stocks upon a pole, and finally burnt in the centre 
of King (now State) Street. While the smoke was ascending, the execu- 
tioner said in a loud voice, ' Behold the smoke ascends to heaven, to wit- 
ness between the isle of Britain and an injured people!' Three cheers 
were given, and the street was cleared in a few minutes without disorder. 
We find in the Boston Gazette of March 17th, the determination ex- 
pressed to spill the last drop of blood, if necessity should require, rather 
than live to see the Stamp Act in operation in America. This is the first 
intimation of the possibility of an appeal to arms. When information 
of the repeal of the Stamp Act reached Boston, on the 16th of May, the 
inhabitants were as loud and active in the demonstrations of their joy as 
they had been before of their resentment. The bells were rung, and the 
cannon was fired under the Liberty Tree, and in other parts of the town. 
The I9th was appointed for a day of general rejoicing. Such was the 
ardor of the people that the bell of Dr. Byles's church, the nearest to the 
Liberty Tree, was rung at one o'clock in the morning, and soon answered 
by the other bells of the city. The drums beat and guns were fired ; the 



BOSTON. 47 



Liberty Tree was decorated with flags, and colors were displayed from 
the houses. In tlie evening the town was illuminated, and fireworks 
were let off in every direction, especially on the Common. Appropriate 
sermons were preached from several pulpits on succeeding days. 

The accidental arrival of a detachment of Royal Artillery, served, in 
addition to the angry and offensive language of the British government 
and its oflScers here, to keep up the public excitement in Boston, until the 
passage of the bill imposing duties on tea, &c., and the act changing the 
administration of the customs in America. Conseriuent upon these, a 
town-meeting wais held on the 2Sth of October, at which the illustrious 
Otis was chosen Moderator. At this meeting an address was read re- 
commending economy and manufactures; and the town took into con- 
sideration the petition of a number of the inhabitants, ' that some effec- 
tual measures might be agreed upon to promote industry, economy, and 
manufactures,' thereby to prevent the unnecessary importation of Euro- 
pean commodities which threatened the country with poverty and ruin. 

" Messrs. John Roicn, Wm. Greeideaf, Melatiah Bourne, Sajn'l Aus- 
tiji, Edw. Paijne, Edm. Qluincy, tertius, John Ruddock, Jona. W'il- 
lianis, Josh. Henshaio, Hend. Inches, Solo. Davis, Joshua Winslotc, 
and Thos. dishing, were appointed a committee to prepare a subscrip- 
tion paper, for the above object. Accordingly, they brought forward a 
form, in which the signers agree ' to encourage the use and consumption 
of all articles manufactured in any of the British Amer. colonies and 
more especially in this province, and not to purchase, after the 31st of 
Dec. next, any of certain enumerated articles, imported from abroad; 
and also strictly to adhere to the late regulation respecting funerals, and 
not to use any gloves, but what are manufactured here, nor procure any 
new garments upon such an occasion, but what shall Ije absolutely neces- 
sary.' Copies of these articles were directed to every town in this prov- 
ince, and to all the other principal towns in America, where they were 
generally approved and adopted." 

Difficulties which occurred between the crew of his Majesty's ship 
Romney, and several town-meetings, from which emanated remonstrances 
to the Governor, and resolutions to avoid, as Air as possible, importations 
from Great Britain, supplied General Gage with the desired pretext for 
sending regular troops to Boston. When this iiiienlion was known, 
another town-meeting was held, which was opened with prayer by the 
Rev. Samuel Cooper. A committee was appointed to wail upon his Ex- 
cellency, and request him to communicate the reasons fnr the troops being 
ordered here, and also to ask him to issue precepts for the General As- 
sembly. The refusal of the Governor to comply with the latter request, 
led to the first State Convention ; the idea of which originated in Boston. 

On Friday, September 30ih, I76S, the British troops landed at Long 
Wharf. The Town House and Faneuil Hall were converted into tempo- 



48 HISTORY OF 



rary barracks, and Boston become a garrisoned place. About this time, 
two hundred families in town had agreed to abstain entirely from the use 
of tea. Otlier towns, and the students of Harvard College, followed the 
example. All amusements were given up, the British officers attempted 
to get up assemblies, but were unable to secure the presence of any ladies 
out of their own families. The women of Boston refused to join in 
fashionable gayeties while their country was in mourning. 

On the night of the 30th of January, 1769, a fire broke out in the jail, 
from which the prisoners were rescued with difficulty. In the morning, 
the walls alone were standing. At this fire, the city and soldiers were 
seen acting in harmony for the la-st time. At the lime of the annual 
election for Representatives, the Selectmen requested General Mackay, 
the commander of the troops, to remove them from the town, which 
being refused, the town met, and entered upon their records a declaration 
of their right, and a protest against being compelled to proceed to election 
under such circumstances. Disputes between the people and the servants 
of the crown now became frequent, but nothing produced greater excite- 
ment than an attack upon Mr. Otis by a number of army, navy, and 
revenue officers at the British Coffee House. In October the town pub- 
lished an appeal to the world, or vindication of Boston, from the asper- 
sions of Bernard and others. In January, 1770, the merchants renewed 
their agreement not to import British goods. At one of the several meet- 
ings held in Faneuil Hall, in connection with this subject, Lieutenant- 
Governor Hutchinson sent a message directing the meeting to disperse 
After a calm consideration of the message, it was unanimously voted to 
proceed. 

Hitherto the altercations between the people and those in authority, 
had been limited to angry words and language of defiance ; but now the 
union for liberty was to be cemented by blood. The first victim was a 
boy of eleven years of age, named Christopher Snyder. He was killed 
by one Ebenezer Richardson, known as the infornip.r, who had created a 
riot by attempting to pull down a pole on the top of which the faces of 
several importers were carved. He was killed on the 23d of February, 
and buried on the 26lh. All the friends of liberty were invited to attend 
the funeral of this little hero and first martyr to the noble cause! The 
corpse was set down under the Tree of Liberty. The coffin bore several 
inscriptions. On the foot, " Latat anguis in herba"; on each side, 
" Haeret lateri lethalis arundo " ; and on the head, " Innocentia nusquam 
luta." Four or five hundred schoolboys preceded the body; six of the 
child's playfellows bore the pall. After the relatives, followed a train of 
thirteen hundred inhabitants on foot, and the procession was closed by 
thirty chariots and chaises. A week after this event, the Boston mas- 
sacre occurred. It originated in an attempt of three or four young men 
to force a passage by a sentinel, in which one of them received a slight 






BOSTON. 49 



wound. This encounter sonn allracled a crowd, a part of which threat- 
ened an attack upon the sentinel at the Custom-House. On the alarm 
being given, a sergeant and six men were sent to his support; and the 
commander of the guard, Captain Thomas Preston, upon being informed 
of this, followed to prevent mischief. By this time the bells were runs, 
and people collected from all quarters. Tiie soldiers were soon surrounded 
by men armed with clubs, and pressing close upon them, while those at a 
distance threw sticks of wood, snowballs, and pieces of ice at them. 
The crowd defied them to fire. Finally, thinking the order was given, 
they fired in succession from right to left. Three citizens were killed 
instantly, two received mortal wounds, and several were more or less in- 
jured. Upon this, the mob increased to the number of four or five thou- 
sand, and most of the troops were called out, or got under arms. Several 
ollicers were knocked down by ihe mob, and o[ie very much injured. It 
was with dllhcuky that the Lieulenanl-Governor, at the head of the 29th 
Regiment, persuaded the people to retire. A body of a hundred men, 
composed of some of the most distinguished inhabitants, remained and 
organized themselves into a Citizen's Guard. Captain Preston surren- 
dered himself, and was committed to prison that night. The eight soldiers 
were committed the next day. At eleven o'clock in the morning of the 
next day, a town-meeting was held, and a committee was appointed to 
wait on the Lieutenant-Governor and Colonel Dalrymple, to express to 
them the opinion of the town, that it was impossible for the soldiers and 
inhabilauls lo live in safety together, and to urge the immediate removal 
of the former. The answer to liiis application not beins satisfactory, the 
committee were sent back to the Lieutenant-Governor, armed with a 
more urgent remonstrance. After some cavils, the Lieutenant-Governor 
offered to remove one of the regiments, when Samuel Adams promptly 
replied, " If the Lieutenant-Governor, or Colonel Dalrymple, or both to- 
gether, have authority to remove one regiment, they have authority to 
remove two; and nothing short of a total evacuation of the town by all 
the regular troops, will satisfy the public mind and preserve the peace of 
the province." Hutchinson, by the advice of the Council, complied with 
this demand, and both regiments were removed to the Castle in less than 
fourteen days. The funeral solemnities which followed the massacre 
hrousht together a great concourse of peojjle. The four bodies were de- 
posited in one grave. Wilmol, charged with the murder of Snydf-r, was 
acquitted; Riciiardson was brought in guilty, but was ultimately par- 
doned by the king. About this time un attempt was made to smusgle in 
some tea, in a cargo from London, but the owners were forced to send it 
back, the traders and people adhering in good Aiith to their agreement, not 
to import or use imported goods. The trial of Captain Preston com- 
menced in October. He was defended with masterly ability by John 
Adams and Josiah Quincy, Jr., Esq., who, to use the words of Tudor, " in 



50 HISTORY OF 



SO doing, gave a proof of thai elevated genuiiiecourage, which ennobles hu- 
man nature. For leaders on the patriotic side, the attempt, while the pub- 
lic were in a state of such high exasperation, to defend an otRcer who was 
accused of murdering their fellow-citizens, required an effort of no ordi- 
nary mind : it was made successfully, and will ever hold a distinguished 
rank among those causes that adorn the profession of the law; in which 
a magnanimous, fearless advocate boldly espouses the side of the unfor- 
tunate, against the passions of the people, and hazards his own safety or 
fortune in the exertion." Captain Preston was acquitted, as were also 
six of the soldiers. A verdict of manslaughter was brought against the 
other two, who were slightly branded and discharged. The anniversary 
of the Boston massacre was commemorated the following year, and the 
first of the " Boston Orations " was delivered by Master James Lovell. 
In November, 1772, the following proceedings took place at a town- 
meeting : — 

'• It was then moved by Mr. Samuel Adams, that a Committee of Cor- 
respondence be appointed, to consist of twenty-one persons, — to elate the 
Right of these Colonists, and of this Province in particular, as men, as 
Christians, and as subjects : to communicate and publish the same to the 
several towns in this province and to the world, as the sense of this town, 
with the infringements and violations thereof, that have been, or from 
time to time may be, made. Also requesting of each town a free com- 
munication of their sentiments on this subject; and the question being 
accordingly put, passed in the affirmative, nem. con. 

" Also voted, that James Otis, S. Adams, Joseph Warren, Dr. B. Church, 
Wm. Dennie, Wm. Greenleaf, Jos. Greenleaf, Thomas Young, Wm. Pow- 
ell, Naih. Appleton, Oliver Wendell, John Sweetser, Josiah Quincy, Jr., 
John Bradford, Richard Boynton, Wm. Mackay, Nath. Barber, Caleb 
Davis, Alex. Hill, Wm. Molineux, and Robert Pierpont, be, and hereby 
are, appointed a Committee for the purpose aforesaid, and that they be 
desired to report to the town as soon as may be." 

The English East India Company, having obtained a license to export 
a quantity of tea to America, free from the payment of any customs or 
duties whatsoever, despatched the ship Dartmouth, which arrived in Bos- 
ton on the 2Slh of November, 1773, with one hundred and twelve chests 
of tea. Information of the intention of the company had been received 
long before the arrival of this ship, and caucuses were held in various 
parts of the town, to induce the consignees to make a public resignation 
of their commissions. The day after the arrival of the Dartmouth, the 
following notice was circulated in Boston and the neighboring towns : — 

"Friends, Brethren, Countrymen! 
"That worst of plagues, the detested TEA, shipped for this port by the 
East India Company, is now arrived in this harbor. The hour of de- 



BOSTON. 51 



slruciion, or manly opposition lo the machinations of Tyranny, stares 
you in the face. Every friend to his country, lo himself, and to posterity, 
is now called upon to meet atFaneuil Hall, at nine o'clock, this day (at 
which lime the bells will ring), to make a united and successful resistance 
lo this last, worst, and most deslructiFe measure of administration. 
" Boston, Nov. 29, 1773." 

The number of people brought together by this notice was immense, 
and the meetings were continued by adjournment during this and the 
following day. A watch was appointed to prevent the landing of the tea, 
and it was '• Voted, that it is the determination of this body to carry 
tiieir votes and resolutions into execution at the risk of their lives and 
property." Another ship arrived on the 1st of December, and a brig 
about the same time. No preparation having been made by the owners 
and consignees for the departure of the vessels, another and fuller meeting 
was held on Thursday, the 16th of December, which remained in session, 
with a short recess, until five o'clock in the afternoon. A refusal having 
been received at that time from the Governor of a permit for the vessels 
to pass the Castle, the meeting broke up with most admired disorder, and 
the multitude rushed to Grilfin's wharf. Thirty men, disguised as In- 
dians, went on board the ships with the tea. In less than two hours, two 
hundred and forty chests and one hundred halfchests were staved and 
emptied into the dock. The affair was conducted without tumult, and no 
injury was done to the vessels, or the remaining cargo. No opposition 
was made lo this adventure by the ships of war or the troops. The 
names of the adventurers have never been made known. This act led to 
the determination to subdue America by force of arms. On the 31st of 
March. 1774, the king gave his assent to the Boston Port Bill. On the 
13th of May, the town passed the following vote : — 

" Voted, That it is the opinion of this town that if the other colonies 
come into a joint resolution to stop all importations from G. B. and ex- 
portationsto G. B. the same will prove the salvation of N. America and 
her liberties. On the other hand, if they continue their exports and im- 
ports, there is high reason to fear that fraud, power, and the most odious 
opp<-ession will rise triumphant over right, justice, social happiness, and 
freedom. And ordered. That this vote be transmitted by the Moderator 
to all our sister colonies in the name and behalf of this town." 

General Gage arrived the same day, and on the 1st of June the Custom- 
House was closed. The solemnity of these sad times was increased by 
the occurrence of a fire, on the lOih of August, in which several persons 
perished. The new charter made it unlawful to hold any town-meetings. 
but the people of the country a.ssembled at Dedham. and afterwards at 
Milton. At the clo.se of the year 177-1, Governor Gage had under hi.s 
command at Boston eleven regiments, besides four coinpanies of artillery. 



52 HISTORY OP 



In the year 1775, an association was formed in Boston, of upwards of 
tliirty persons, chiefly mechanics, for the purpose of watching the move- 
ments of the British, the members of which watched the soldiers by 
patrolling the streets all night. It was this association that gave notice of 
the expedition to destroy the stores at Concord, preparations for which 
had been made in profound secrecy. Towards the end of May, consider- 
able reinforcements arrived at Boston from England, accompanied by 
Generals Howe, Clinton, and Burgoyne. On the 17thof June, thehattleof 
Bunker Hill was fought. After which, Boston was effectually guarded 
and brought into a state of siege. No provisions were allowed to enter, 
the troops aud inhabitants were reduced to great necessities, and the 
breaking out of the small-pox added to the general wretchedness. On 
the 2d of July, General Washington took command of the American Army. 
Such was the scarcity of fuel during the following winter, that the Old 
North Meeting-house and above one hundred other large wooden build- 
ings were taken down and distributed for firewood. The Old South 
Church was transformed into a riding school ; HoUis street, Brattle 
street, the West and the First Baptist Meeting-houses, were occupied as 
hospitals or barracks for the troops. 

On the 18th of March, 1776, the British troops embarked and aban- 
doned the town. The inhabitants of Boston speedily returned to their 
homes, and on the 29lh of March, a regular meeting was held for the 
choice of town-officers. 

At the meeting for the choice of Representatives, in the ensuing May, 
it was unanimously resolved, to advise their Representatives " that, if 
the honorable Continental Congress should, for the safety of the colonies, 
declare them independent of the kingdom of Great Britain, they, the in- 
habitants, would solemnly engage with their lives and fortunes, to sup- 
port them in the measure." 

The Declaration of Independence was made public at Boston on the 
18th of July, with great parade and exultation. Although Boston con- 
tributed its full proportion of men and means to support the cause of the 
Revolution, it ceased from this time to be the seat of war. It remained 
firm in its determination to make no terms with Great Britain, unaccom- 
panied with an acknowledgment of independence. But the intelligence 
of peace, which was received on the 23d of April, 178-3, called forth the 
most lively demonstrations of joy and satisfaction. The adoption of the 
Federal Constitution was equally an occasion of rejoicing, and was cele- 
brated by a numerous procession, composed of all classes and trades, with 
appropriate badges. 

The beacon upon Beacon Hill was blown down in the autumn of 1789, 
and the monument commemorating the principal events of the Revolu- 
tionary War was connnenced the next year, and completed in the spring 
of 1791. It was a plain column, of the Doric order, built of brick and 



BOSTON. 53 



Stone, and encrusted with a while cement; the top surmounted by a gill 
engle, supporting the American Arm.s. The height of the column, to the 
lop of the eagle, was sixty feet. The east side of the monument bore an 
inscription, the sentiment of which should ever be freshly remembered, — 

" AMERICANS : 
WHILE FROM THIS EMINENCE, SCENES OF LUXURIANT FERTILITY, OF 
FLOURISHING COMMERCE, AND THE ABODES OF SOCIAL HAPPINESS 
MEKT YOUR VIEW, FORGET NOT THOSE, WHO BY THEIR EXERTIONS 
HAVE SECURED TO YOU THESE BLESSINGS." 

Our history of those events which, in Boston, preceded and led to the 
national independence, illuslrales in an honorable manner the fidelity of 
its inhabitants lo those principles of conduct which always directed | 
their fathers in the settlement of this province. It requires no common 
sagacity to perceive, upon retrospection, the wisdom and nobleness of 
those principles, or to estimate the abundant reward of those virtues; 
neither will it be dirricnlt lo understand, from the few pages yet before us, 
how well they were suited, under the blessing of God, to constitute the 
permanent basis of the soundest social polity, and of general and indi- 
vidual happiness. While we are inspired with sentiments of devout grati- 
tude to those who have preceded us, for the works they have left behind 
them, of which we are reaping the mighty benefits, we cannot but enter- 
tain an equally devout hope thai we may be so guided and governed by 
their great examples, as lo preserve a slate of constant progress, and con- 
tinue faithful lo that honor. 

" The jewel of our house, 
Bequeathed down from many ancestors ; 
Which were the greatest obloquy in the world 
In us to lose." 

In writing the history of Boston up to this period, we have been record- 
ing events that belonged to the history of the province, and of the whole 
country. This was owing to the prominent position occupied by Boston 
in the affairs of the colony, and to the spirit of her citizens. But the 
successful issue of the Revolution having secured that independence and 
stability for which Boston had contended from its first foundation, and 
removed all apprehensions of their being again disturbed, the energies of 
the people were hereafter chiefly devoted lo the labors of peace, to the 
improvement of those advantages of situation and government, which 
held out lo them the highest prospects. Accordingly, our attention here- 
after will be principally given lo subjects of merely local interest. 

The first great undertaking aAer the peace, the greatest at that time 
that had ever been projected in America, was the construction of a bridge 
over Charles River, between Boston and Charlestown. The wisdom of 
this project wjs doubted at the time by many persons, who thought it 



54 HISTORY OF 



would be unable lo wilhatand the ice. An act of incorporation, liowever, 
was granted, on the 9th of March, 1785, to the stockholders, and the 
work was prosecuted with such vigor, that the bridge was open for pas- 
sengers on the 17th of June, 17S6. This occasion was celebrated with 
appropriate festivities; salutes of thirteen guns were fired at sunrise 
from Bunker and Copps's hills, the sounds of which contrasted joyfully 
in the public mind, witli those, which on the same day, eleven years be- 
fore, had awakened the same echoes. The procession consisted of almost 
every respectable character in public and private life, and included both 
branches of the Legislature. The number of spectators was estimated at 
twenty thousand, and eight hundred persons sat down to a dinner pro- 
vided for their accommodation on Breed's Hill. The Town Records show 
that this bridge had been discussed as early as 1720. The cost of it is 
said to have been £. 15,000, lawful money. 

The next great undertaking was the bridge and causeway from the 
west end of Cambridge street to the opposite shore in Cambridge. The 
causeway was begun on the 15th of July, 1792, and that and the bridge 
were open for passengers on the 23d of November, 1793. The cost of the 
two was estimated at .£23,000, lawful money. 

Old South Boston Bridge was opened for passengers in the summer of 
1805, and Canal or Craigie's Bridge in the summer of 1809. 

The Western Avenue, or IMill-Dam, making a sixth Avenue into the 
city (five of which are artificial), was fairly begun in 181S, and com- 
pleted in the summer of 1821. 

On the 2nth of April, 1787, a disastrous fire occurred, which destroyed 
the Hollis Street Church, and one hundred other buildings, of which sixty 
were dwelling-houses. 

In the year 1793, the foundation was laid of the present range of build- 
ings in Franklin street ; the spot on which they stand had been up to 
this time neglected, and a slough or quagmire existed in the lower part 
of it. 

In July, 1794, another distressing fire occurred, which laid waste the 
square from Pearl street to the water. Six or seven ropewalks were de- 
stroyed, and one hundred stores and dwelling-houses. The ropewalks 
were afterwards removed to the bottom of the Common, and were twice 
destroyed by fire; once in the winter of 1805-6, and again in the autumn 
of 1819. In 1824, ihey were removed to the Neck and Mill-Dam. 

In the month of May, 1795, the town purchased of Governor Hancock's 
heirs the land on which the State-House stands, and transferred it to the 
commonwealth. The corner-stone of this edifice was laid with great 
ceremony on the 4th of July, by the Governor, assisted by the Grand 
Masters of the Masonic Lodges. A silver plate bearing the name of the 
depositors, and many pieces of current money, were placed beneath the 
stone. On it was inscribed, — " This Corner-Stone of a building, intended 



BOSTON. 55 



for tlie use of llie Legislative ami lixeculive brunches of Government of 
the Common wealth of Massachusetts, was laid by His Excellency, Samuel 
Atiams, Esq., Governor of said Commonwealth, assisted by the Most Wor- 
shipful Paul Revere, Grand Master, and the Right Worshipful William 
Sedley, Deputy Grand Master, tiie Grand Wardens and brethren of the 
j Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, on the fourth day of July, An. Dom. 1795. 
A. L. 5795 being tlie XXth anniversary of American Independence." 

The Nineteenth Ceiitury. 

The new Alms-house, in Leverett street, which stood till 1825, was 
built in the year 1800. The old Alms-house, Work-house, and Bridewell, 
io:,'elher with the Granary, were situated on Park street. The Granary 
was a storehouse for grain for the accommodation of the poor, and was 
under the direction of a committee. It may be mentioned here, that the 
first Almshouse appears to have been open for the reception of patients 
in 1665; and this being destroyed by tire in 16S2, another was erected in 
16:56. 

About 1303 or 1804, the ground on which these buildings stood was sold, 
and the block of four houses in Park street adjoining the church was put 
up. This was one of the earliest improvements near the Stale-House and 
Common. 

In 1804, houses were erected on Beacon street, at the upper corner of 
Park street. 

Hamilton Place was finished in 1S06, and Bumstead Place shortly 
after. Pinckney street. Myrtle street, Hancock street, and the whole ex- 
tent of Mount V'^ernon, which, at the end of the last century, were a 
dreary waste, began to exhibit signs of improvement, and by the year 
1806, some of the handsomest houses in the town were built in this neigh- 
borhood. Beacon hill and the hills west of it were cut down, and the 
materials were used to fill up the Mill-pond; the proprietors of which 
had been incorporated by the name of the Boston Mill Corporation, as 
early as 1804. One of the first improvements on the Mill-pond (as it was 
called), was a street from the Boston side of Charles River and bridge, j 
which shortened the distance between Charlestown and the centre of Bos- 
ton. The filling up of the pond gradually progressed subsequently to 
that time, by which the area of the peninsula was increased about forty- 
three acres. 

In December, 1801, another destructive fire occurred, and about a year 
afterwards the law was passed prohibiting the erection of wooden build- 
ings more than ten feet high. The improvements of the city were car- 
ried rapidly forward. 

In 1806, the digging away of Copps Hill, and the erection of brick 
buildings in Lynn street, was commenced. 

Broad street, India Wharf, and India street, extending from the head of 



56 HISTORY OF 



the latter to the head of Long Wharf, were the next improvements, and 
the stores and houses on them were ready to be occupied in the course of 
1S07- 1809. To these great improvements we must add in the same quarter 
that of Central Wharf, one hundred and fifty feet in width, with a line of 
fifty-four stores in the centre, four stories high. As a place of commer- 
cial business, combining every possible convenience. Central Wharf is 
probably not surpassed by any in the world. The projector of these great 
enterprises, Mr. Cotling, originated at the same time the plans of Market 
and Brattle streets, with their fine buildings, the first which were made 
to rest on granite pillars. The houses on the east side of Market street 
were built the next year, and enjoy the distinction of being the first stone 
block in the town. 

The changes above enumerated were chiefly for the purposes of busi- 
ness and trade, but the means of accommodation for a population rapidly 
increasing in wealth and numbers, kept equal pace with the improved 
facilities of commerce. 

Fort Hill was repaired, and the adjacent lot was sold to individuals, 
who raised the brick block called Washington Place. The neighborhood 
of the Massachusetts Hospital, formerly marsh and pasture ground, or 
used for ropewalks only, was covered with handsome houses. Beacon 
street, on the west side of the Common, and Tremont street on the east 
(mostly built in 1811), were adorned with elegant dwellings, and before 
the year 1822, many courts, rows, squares, and places, added to the 
beauty and convenience of the city. In the mean time, the old Custom- 
House had been built, and the Boston Exchange Coffee-House, an im- 
mense pile, seven stories in height, and covering twelve thousand seven 
hundred and fifty-three square feet of ground, was completed. It stood 
with its front on Congress street, and took in the site of the present Ex- 
change Coffee-House. It was destroyed by fire in 1818. 

The stone Court-House, in Court Square, now City Hall, built in 1810, 
Boylston Hall in the same year, and the City Market, so called, at the 
foot of Brattle street, next to Dock Square, built in 1819, bring to a close, 
for the present, our list of improvements, — dry, perhaps, to the indifferent 
reader, but replete with interest for the Bosionian, who is thus made 
familiar with the mode of growth of his native city. 

It has been the fashion of our day to listen with too much patience to 
sneers upon the severity of the life and manners of our Puritan fathers. 
It is apt (very naturally) to escape the unreflecting, that the work they 
had to perform, — that of raising amid the gloom of ignorance, bigotry, 
and licentiousness, and in a distant wilderness, a social structure resting 
upon the broad and securebasisof religious and civil freedom, — was not to 
be accomplished with laughter and revelry, " the brood of folly, without 
father bred," — but with seriousness, with grave meditations, and the 
awful persuasions of an exalted faith, — the walls of their new city of 



BOSTON. 



refuge were not to be built with music, or if with music, not of thai 
profane sort to the idle sounds of which ilie stones of the iieaihen tapiiiil 
danced into their places, but with the sage and solemn tunes of peni- 
tential psalms, of hymns of joyful thanksgiving, — the music of the full- 
voiced choir heard 

" In service high and anthems clear," 

which brought all heaven before the eyes of him who listened with faith 
and love. 

The present state of the fine arts in the city of Boston affords the best 
possible evidence that the sterner qualities of the Puritan character were 
by no means inconsistent with the higher graces of the mind. Indeed, 
the former, like the hardest materials in inanimate nature, seem capable 
of receiving the most exquisite polish. And when we allude to the in- 
troduction of a taste for art, and for llie more refined enjoyments of social 
life, we do not mean to speak or think of it as something contradictory 
to the sentiments of the original founders of this colony, — for that, in- 
deed, would discover ignorance of their wealth, their education, and social 
position at home, — but as something necessarily wanting until the 
struggle for e.vistence and for safety had ceased, — as the adornments of 
the edifice, not the less comprised in the original plan, because they do 
not appear until the pillars on which they repose are standing upon their 
firm bases. Moreover, the highest refinements of social life have always 
followed in the path of commerce, which is not more the constant friend 
of liberty, than of knowledge and art. 

The first building es[)ecially appropriated to public amusements was 
erected in the year 175G. This was Concert Hall, at the head of Hanover 
street. It was designed for concerts, dancing, and other entertainments. 
It was subsequently enlarged and improved at a great expense, and was 
the place in which the British officers conducted their amu.sements while 
in possession of the town. A law of the province passed about the year 
1750, prohibited theatrical exhibitions under severe penalties. An effort 
to obtain a repeal of this law in 1792, failed. Notwithstanding which, 
plays were performed under the title of moral lectures, in the '' new ex- 
hibition room in Board Alley," now Hawley street. A majority of the 
town regarded the prohibitory laws as " unconstitutional, inexpedient, 
and absurd," and in obedience to the public wishes, the theatre in Fed- 
eral street was built, and opened in 1794. To this was added the Hay- 
market Theatre, in 1796. which stood near the foot of the mall, on the 
spot now occupied by the three story buildings south of Colonnade Row. 
V'arious other places of public entertainment, including several museums, 
were opened subsequently to the year 1790. Institutions of a more 
elevated cluracter preceded and accompanied these provisions for the 
mere enjoyment of the peo|)le. The American Academy of Arts and 



53 HISTORY OF 



Sciences was incorporated in the year 1780. The design of this inaliiu- 
tion was "to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance 
the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and 
virtuous people." The Memoirs of this Academy have done, and are now 
doing, much to enlarge the bounds of human knowledge. It is now in a 
state of great activity and usefulness, and enrolls among its fellows and 
honorary members the most eminent names in science and literature in 
this country and in Europe. 

In 1794, was incorporated the Massachusetts Historical Society, which 
had for its object the collection, preservation, and communication of 
materials for a complete history of the country. In the same year the 
Boston Library Society came into existence, and very soon filled its 
shelves with valuable works of science and general literature, particularly 
those which, on account of their cost, are not commonly accessible. 

The present fine institution of the Athenaeum originated in the year 
1806, by the establishment of a reading-room, containing valuable foreign 
and domestic periodicals, publications, and books of general reference. 
The proprietors of this institution were incorporated in 1807, and through 
the untiring spirit and inexhaustible liberality of private individuals, it 
has risen to its present state of usefulness and honor; its building is one 
of the chief architectural ornaments of the city, and its library and rooms 
of statuary and painting are the habitual resort of the lovers of knowl- 
edge and art. 

Passing over many minor literary associations, we must make a hasty 
enumeration of those charitable institutions which, if a selection were 
made, must be designated as the most prominent characteristic of Boston. 
There is no general sentiment, not even the love of liberty, which, from 
the early foundation of the colony, has displayed itself with more force 
and harmony. Its objects are numerous, and upon some of them "all 
sorts of persons, rich and poor, orthodox and hereticy, strong and weak, 
influential and influenced, male and female, young and old, educated and 
uneducated, unite their efforts, and the result is such a combination of 
charities as has never before been found in any city of its size." The 
tardy self-reproach of Lear 

" O, I have ta'en 
Too little care of this ! " 

will not visit the pillow of the mechanic or merchant, the lawyer or 
tradesman, of Boston. If their sagacity has first pointed the way to 
wealth, and their boldness has followed it successfully, they have not for- 
gotten the " houseless heads and unfed sides, the looped and windowed 
raggedness," that are to be found in every, the most prosperous, com- 
munity. 
We will merely give the names of some of these charitable institutions. 



BOSTON. 69 



Among those which have been incorporated are the Massachusetts 
Humane Society, the Massachusetts Charitable Fire Sticiety, the INIassa- 
chuselts Charitable Mechanics' Association, the Boston Dispensary, the 
Boston Female Asylum, the Howard Benevolent Society, the Asylum for 
Indigent Boys, the Provident Institution for Savings, the Society for the 
Religious and Moral Instruction of the Poor, the Penitent Females' Refuge, 
the Female Orphan Asylum, the Lying-in Hospital, the Blind Asylum, 
the Eye and Ear Infirmary, the Massachusetts General Hospital, the 
Farm School, and the Insane Asylum. Besides these, and many more of 
ilie same kind, there are charitable provisions made by every religious 
society for its own poor, and there is a public establishment called the 
!\Iinistry at Large, the object of which is, to inquire into all descriptions 
of destitution, and to apply the necessary alleviation. The views of the 
societies above named, are general and comprehensive, but there are other 
institutions not less active, though more limited in their scope. Such 
are the Samaritan and Fragment Societies ; the Fatherless and Widows' 
Society ; the Society for the Relief of the Distressed ; the Episcopal 
Charitable Society ; the British Charitable, the Irish Charitable, the 
Massachusetts Charitable, and the Fuel Societies ; the Needlewoman's 
Friend and the Seaman's Friend Societies; the Prison Discipline Society, 
itc, &c. If we add to these many strictly private associations for benev- 
olent purposes, we may without vanity repeat the words of Increase 
Mather, who said, " for charity, he might indeed speak it without 
flattery, this town hath not many equals on the face of the earth." 
From this topic we pass, by an easy and natural transition, to our 
system of free schools, and other means of education, the indispensa- 
ble support of republics. The IMassachusetts system of free schools is 
loo well known throughout the world to require that its history or meth- 
ods should be given here. The earliest trace of it is found in the Boston 
records under the date of April I3th, 1635, — that is, five years after the 
settlement. A subscription " towards the maintenance of a free school- 
master," at the head of which stand the names of Governor Vane, Gov- 
ernor Winthrop, and Mr. Richard Bellingham, is found on the last leaf of 
the oldest volume of town records ; and the same records show, that the 
subject has continued from that lime to the present, to command the 
nainlermitted, faithful, and earnest attention of the authorities of the 
town. Among the fruits of this system of free education, may be counted 
several voluntary associations of young men, having for their object in- 
structions of a higher degree, so organized as to be accessible to all ; 
such as the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, the Mercan- 
tile Library Association, the Mechanics' Institute, &c. The best minds 
of the Stale and country are employed in delivering courses of public 
lectures before these societies every winter. Neither must we omit to 
mention that noblest of private foundations, the Lowell Institute, — the 



60 HlbJOKY OF 



work of a wise, patriotic, and munificent spirit, who, by means of it, iias 
done so much for his city, and for llie promotion of knowledge, 

" That Christendom shall ever speak his virtue." 

In 1822, the act of the Legislature was passed, conferring upon Boston 
the name and privileges of a city. This change had engaged the atten- 
tion of the people of Boston as early as the year I60I, and from that time 
forward, at considerably long intervals, ineffectual attempts had been made 
to bring it about. The charter was not accepted finally without opposi- 
tion. The first Mayor was the Hon. John Phillips, who, during a year 
of some e-Kcitement, administered the new form of government in a man- 
ner suited to conciliate the feelings of its opponents. The adoption of 
the city charter, and the election of the Hon. Josiah Quincy to the office 
of Mayor on the second year, must be regarded as a most important era 
in the history of Boston. "The destinies of the city of Boston," said 
Mr. Quincy, in one of his inaugural addresses, "are of a nature too plain 
to be denied or misconceived. The prognostics of its future greatness are 
written on the face of nature too legibly and too indelibly to be mistaken. 
The indications are apparent from the location of our city, from its har- 
bor, and its relative position among rival towns and cities; above all. 
from the character of its inhabitants, and the singular degree of enter- 
prise and intelligence which are diffused through every class of its citi 
zens." To hasten the fulfilment of those prognostics, to interpret tho.se 
indications, to unfold and direct those destinies, PvTr. Quincy applied ali 
the powers of a mind, vigorous, inventive, resolute, and expanded, with 
such prudence and courage, that he has added lustre to a name distin 
guished in the annals of this colony, and of the country, from the date 
of the first patent to the present day. 

Quincy Market, which has been justly styled '•' one of the boldest, most 
useful, and splendid public improvements that have taken place in the 
Eastern States," is not only a great advantage to the city, but a fitting 
monument of Mr. Quincy's genius. 

How well the impulse to improvements given by Mr. Quincy has been 
followed out, the subsequent pages of this volume, containing pictorial 
and other descriptions of the public buildings and places of the city, will 
abundantly show. 

The introduction of Railroads, the first two of which were opened for 
public travel in 1S35, supplied a means of further progress, well suited 
to the character of our people. The union of this city with the great 
lakes on one side, and England on the other, with the Canadas on the 
north, and the States on the south, has rendered it one of the principle 
depots of commerce, and one of the chief mediums of travel. 

We mentioned on a former page, that in 1711, a Southern and Eastern 
mail ran once a week to Plymouth and Maine, and a Western mail once 






BOSTON. 61 



a formight to Connecticut and New York. In 1791, a new telegraph was 
invented by Mr. Grout, of Belchertown, with which he boasted that in 
less than ten minutes he had asked a question and received an answer 
from a place ninety miles distant. 

We introduce these facts here to suggest to the reader a moment's re- 
flection upon the great changes and improvements which seem to mark 
our age as one of the most favored in history. The rapid increase of 
Boston in wealth, population, and all the elements of greatness, remind.^ 
us that no small portion of tlie benefits of this favored age has fallen to 
our share. When the first bridge to South Boston was built, that whole 
peninsula contained but ten families, and now it numbers the population 
of a small city. In 1S31, there was but a single family on Noddle's Island, 
East Boston ; it now contains twelve thousand inhabitants. Both these 
parts of the city are in the most flourishing condition, and share largely 
in the general prosperity. When justice is done to South Boston, by a 
judicious improvement, which will confer upon it a portion of the water 
advantages to which East Boston owes its more rapid gain. South Boston 
will also become the seat of commerce as well as of manufactures. 

But we must close here our brief, and to us unsatisfactory, abridgment 
of the history of Boston. It would be impossible, however, for a native 
Bostonian, when on this theme, to lay down his pen without grasping at 
some of the rich fruit, — the " apples of gold in pictures of silver," — the 
instructions of that wisdom which speaketh in the streets of our city, to 
those who are able to heed her voice. If this history teaches any thing, 
and such a pregnant history must contain many precious maxims, it 
teaches this, that implicit obedience to law is, in a republican communi- 
ty, the only security for life and property ; that the Union of these Stales 
is the most important element in our commercial prosperity ; and apart 
from those personal interests which must, more or less, influence the 
conduct of all men, we find the strongest inducements to the support of 
our commercial prosperity in this consideration, — that commerce is the 
human instrument which, above all others, has been employed by the 
Creator of the Universe in promoting the physical, moral, and intellectual 
advancement of mankind. 



62 



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66 CHURCHES OF BOSTON 

CHURCHES OP BOSTON. 

The first church building erected in Boston was in the year 1632. Its 
location was near the present corner of Stale street and Devonshire 
street. Mr. Emerson, in his historical sketches of the church, stales its 
location as not far from the spot on which the former E.Ychange Coffee- 
House was built. The church covenant of the first society was in tlie 
following words : — 

" In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in obedience to his holy 
will and divine ordinance, 

" We, whose names are here underwritten, being by his most wise and 
good providence brought together into this pan of America, in the Bay 
of Massachusetts, and desirous lo unite into one congregation or church, 
under the Lord Jesus Christ, our head, in such sort, as becomelh all iho.se 
whom he halh redeemed and santified to himself, do hereby solemnly and 
religiously, as in his most holy presence, promise and bind ourselves to 
walk in all our ways according lo the rule of the gospel, and in all sincere 
conformity to his holy ordinances, and in mutual love and respect lo each 
other so near, as God shall give us grace." 

The second church in Boston was erected in 1649, at the head of the 
North Square ; " when the northeast part of the town being separated 
from the other with a narrow stream cut through a nick of land by in- 
dustry, whereby that part is become an island." 

The first Episcopal Society was formed in Boston in the year 1636, when 
the service of the Common Prayer Book was introduced. Such was the 
inveterate opposition of the early colonists to the adoption of any other 
form of worship than their own, that it was with great difficulty that the 
Baptists, Quakers, Roman Catholics, and Episcopalians, obtained a foot- 
ing in the city. The Old South Church was forcibly taken possession of 
in that year, the ministers who were previously consulted having agreed 
" that they could not, with a good conscience, consent to the use of their 
churches for the Episcopal service." 

The first Baptist Society was formed in the year 1665, when prosecu- 
tions against members of that denomination were commenced. Their 
first house of worship was at the corner of Slillman and Salem streets. 

The first Quakers who appeared in New England arrived at Boston in 
the year 1656. The General Court passed sentence of banishment against 
them. Three years afterwards, two members of this denomination were 
executed on account of their religious tenets. In 1661, King Charles the 
Second issued instructions that no more prosecutions should be made. 

A Roman Catholic Church was first formed in this city in the year 1789. 

The first Methodist Church, erected in Boston, was opened by a Meth- 
odist Missionary in the year 1796. This building was erected in Hanover 
Avenue. 

The first Universalist Society was established in the year 1785, when 
they purchased the meetinghouse at the corner of Hanover and Bennett 
streets. 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 




FIRST COXGREGATIONAI. CHURCH. 

This ancient Ck)agregaiional Church, the first in the metropolis, was 
regularly embodied at Charlestown, 27lh August, 1630. In 16:32, the first 
house of worship was built. It had mud walls and a thatched roof, and 
stdod on the south side of what is now State street. The second meeting- 
house was erected in 1639, on the spot that " Joy's buildings " now occu- 
pies, in Washington street, and was burned down in the great fire of Oct. 
2, 1711. In 1808, the present house in Chauncy place was solemnly ap- 
propriated to Christian worship. 

PASTORS . 

J, Wilson, from 1G32 to 1667. J. Cotton, from 16.33 to 1652. J. Nor- 
ton, from 1606 to IG6.3. J. Davenport, from 166s to 1670. J. Allen, 
from 1668 to 1710. J. Oxenbridoe, from 1670 to 1674. J. Moody, from 
1684 to 16rf2. J. Bailey, from 1693 to 1697. B. Wadsworth, from 1696 
to 1737. T. Bridge, from 1705 to 1715. T. Foxcraft, from 1717 to 1769. 
C. Chauncy, D. D., from 1727 to 17S7. J. Clarke, D. D., from 1778 to 
1798. W. Emerson, from 1799 to ISll. J. L. Abbott, from 1SI3 to 
to 1814. N. L. Frothingham, D. D., from 1815 to 1850. 



g i*»MKmi i j.jw 



UM W J^iiiMMWMy in: 



68 



SECOND CHURCH. 




XEVV BRICK, OR SKCOAD CHURCH. 

The preceding cut represents the New Brick, or Second Church, Hano- 
ver street, which belonged to the Congregationalists from 1650 till 1845 
The Society was gathered in 1650. Their first edifice was built in North 
Square in 1649, burnt in 1676, rebuilt in 1677, and torn down for fuel by 
order of the British General Howe, in 1775. It was then called the Old 
North. The building now represented was dedicated May 10, 1721, and 
called the New Brick, by seceders from the New North. This building 
was demolished in the year 1844, and a splendid edifice erected on its site 
during the ministry of the Rev. Chandler Robbins. In 1845 the Society 
sold their new building to the First Methodist Church, and in 1850, pur- 
chased a Chapel in Freeman Place, where they now worship. 

PASTORS. 

John Mayo, from 1655 to 1672. Increase Mather, D. D., from 1669 
to 1723. Cotton Mather, D. D., from 1635 to 1723. Joshua Gee, from 
1723 to 1748. Samuel Mather, D. D., from 1732 to 1741. Samuel 
Checkley, Jr., from 1747 to 1763. John Lathrop, D. D., from 1763 to 
1816. Henry Ware, Jr., D. D., from 1817 to 1830. R. W. Emerson, 
from 1829 to 1832. Chandler Robeins, ord. 1833, present Pastor. 



FIRST BAPIIt-T CHIKCJI. 



69 




FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, U-\IO-\ STREET. 

This Church was gathered in Ciiarlcstown, on lhe23lh of May, 1G65; at 
its formation it consisted of nine members. The first house of worship 
was built in 1679, at the corner of Stillman and Salem streets. In 177] a 
new house was built on the .same spot, which was afterwards considerably 
enlarged. The present edifice, which is situated at the corner of Union 
and Hanover streets, was dedicated June IS, 1829. The house is built of 
brick, and is surmounted by a handsome tower. It contains 106 pews. 
The pulpit is of mahogany, and in front, connected with it, is the Baptis- 
tery, which is so situated that every person in the house may see the ordi- 
nance performed while seated in their pews. 

PASTORS. 

Thomas Gould, from 1665 to 1675. John Russell from 1675 to 1690, 
John Miles, to February, 1683. John Emblem, from 16S4 to 1699. El- 
lis Callender, from 170S to 1713. Elisha Callender, from 1718, to 
1738. Jeremiah Condy, from 1739 to 1764. Samuel Stillman, from 
1765 to 1807. Joseph Clay, from 1807 to 1809. James M. Winchell, 
from 1814 to 1320. F. Wayla-no, Jr., from 1821 to 1826. C P. Groves- 
NOR, from 1827 to 1830. W. Hagob, from 1831 to 1837. R. H. Neale, 
September, 1837. present Pastor. 



70 



OLD SOUTH CHURCH. 




OLD SOUTH CHURCH, WASHINGTON STREET. 

This Church was formed in Clmrleslowii. on the 12lh and 16ih of the 
third month, i. e. of May, 1669, O. S. At its formation it consisted of 52 
members. There have been two buildings erected upon the spot where 
the Old South Church now stands, at the corner of Washington and Milk 
streets. The second, or present Church, of which the above is a repre- 
sentation, was first occupied for public worship on the 26th of April, 1730, 

O. S. 

PASTORS. 

Thomas Thatcher, from 1670 to 1678. S. Willard, from 1678 to 

1707. EbenezerPemberton, from 1700 to 1717. Joseph Sewall, D D., 

from 1713 to 1769. Thomas Prince, from 1718 to 1753. Alexander 

CuMMiNG, from 1761 to 1763. Samuel Blair, from 1766 to 1769. John 

Bacon, from 1771 to 1775. John Hunt, from 1771 to 1775. Joseph Eck- 

ley, p. D., from 1779 to 1811. Joshua Huntington, from 1808 to 1819. 

Benjamin B. Wisner, D. D., from 1821 to 1832. Samuel H. Stearns. 

from 1834 to 1836. George W. Blagden, D. D., installed September 28. 

1836, present Pastor. 



STONE CHAPEF.. 



71 




STOXE CHAPEL, TREMONT STREET. 

This Society, originally Episcopalian, met with much opposition from 
the inhabitants of Boston, and it was only through the authority of Gov- 
ernor Andros. that they succeeded in perforniins tlie Church service pub- 
licly in the Old South Church on the 2rM of March, 16S7. In the year 
16S9 the first edifice, which was built of wood, was erected on the spot 
where the present one now stands, but did not occupy so much ground. 
In the year 1710 it was enlarged to nearly double its former size, and in 
1749 the corner-stone of the present edifice was laid by Governor Sliirley. 
This Church is situated at the comer of School and Tremoiit streets. 

CLERGY. 

R. Radcliffe, and R. Clark, from 16S6 to I6S9. S. MrLES, from 16S9 
to 1723. G. Hatton, A. M., from 1693 to 1696. C. Rudge, A. M., from I 
1699 to 1706. H. Harris, from 1709 to 1729. R. Price, from 1729 to i 
1746. T. Howard, A. M., from 1731 to 17;3G. A. Davenport, A. M., 
from 1741 to 1744. H. Cane, D. D., from 1741 to 1776. C. Brockwell, 
A. M.. from 1747 to 1755. J. Troutbee, A. M., settled 1775, left 1775. J. 
Freeman, from 1783 to 1835. S. Carv, from 1309 to 1S15. F. W. P. 
Greenwood, D. D., from 1824 to 1843. E. Peaeody, present Pastor, 
sealed in 1S4-. 



72 



FlUENDS' MEETING-HOUSE. 




FRIENDS' MEETING-HOUSE, MILTON PLACE. 

There are but few Quakers in Boston. They occasionally hold meet- 
ings here, but the persons composing these meetings are generally resi- 
dents of other places ; they are chiefly from Lynn. 

Their Meeting-House is quite small, built of stone, and is a very neat 
edifice. It is in Milton Place, situated a little back from Federal street. 
Like the Friends themselves, it is so quiet and retired that a person might 
pass through the street a number of times, and not observe the building. 
From the year 1661 to 1808, the Society of Friends held regular meetings 
in Boston. They built the first brick meeting-house in the tqwn, in Brat- 
tle street, and another of similar materials in Congress street. The for- 
mer was sold in 1708, the latter was erected prior to 1717, and stood till 
April, 1825, when the building was sold and demolished. Connected with 
this house was a burial ground, in which the dead of the Society were in- 
terred. Their remains were removed to Lynn in the summer of 1826. 
The land was sold in 1827, and the stone building opposite the west end of 
Lindall street, occupies the site of the old Church. The first Quakers 
who came to Boston, arrived in May, 1656. The laws against the sect 
were very severe in the Colony, and every Quaker found in it was liable to 
the loss of one of his ears. Four were put to death. 



BRATTLE STREET CHURCH. 



-> ft 




CHURCH IN BRATTLE SQUARE. 

This was the seventh religious Society formed in Boston. The earliest 
date of which it i.s tneiilioned. is January 10, 1698, when Thon)a3 Brattle 
conveyed to tliem a piece of i;iiiil known as Brattle's close, wliich now 
forms a part of the Church lot. The Church was early called the I\lani- 
fe.slo Church, from a declaration of principles published by the "under- 
takers" or founders of the Society. The first house of worship, a wooden 
building, was taken down in May, 1772, to make room for the one which 
now stands in Brattle S(inare, which was built upon the same spot, and 
consecrated July 25, 1773. 

PASTORS. 
B. CoLMAV. D. D., from 1699 to 1747. W. Cooper, from 1716 to 1743. 
S. Cooper, from 1746 to 1783. P. Thacher, from 1785 10 1802. J. S. 
BucKMiNSTER, from 1805 to 1S12. E. Everett. D. D., LL. D., from 1814 
to 1815. J. G. Palfrey, D. D., from 1818 to 1S30. S. K. LoTHRor, D. D., 
installed June 17, \^'M, jiresent Pastor. 



74 



NEW NORTH CHURCH. 




iVEW NORTH CHURCH, HANOVER STREET. 

The New North was the second Congregational Church built at the 
north part of Boston, and the fifth in the order of the other Churches of 
that name. The first house was dedicated May 5, 1714, and the second, 
which is the present, May 2, 1804, or nearly ninety years afterwards. It 
is a substantial brick edifice, at the corner of Hanover and Clark streets. 
The original cost was $26,570, exclusive of the land. Nearly all this sum 
v/as realized from the first sale of pews. The inside is a square of 72 feet, 
two ranges of Doric columns under the galleries, and Corinthian columns 
above them support the ceiling, which was in an arch of moderate eleva- 
tion in the centre, — the whole well adapted for sight and sound. 

PASTORS. 

Rev. John Webb, ordained October 20, 1714, died April 16, 1750. 
Rev. Peter Thacher. installed January 28, 1723, died March 1, 1739. 
Rev. Andrew Eliot, D. D., ord. April 14, 1742, died September 13, 1778. 
Rev. JcHN Eliot, D. D., ordained Nov. 3, 1779, died February 14, 1813. 
Rev. Francis Parkman, D. D., ord. Dec. 8, 1813, resigned Feb. I, 1819. 
Rev. Amos Smith, ordained December 7, 1842, resigned June 5, 1848. 
Rev. Joshua Young, present Pastor, ordained February I, 1S49. 



NEW SOUTH CHUItCH. 




NEW SOUTH CHURCH. 

This Church is situated at the junction of Summer and Bedford streets. 

The first meeting of the proprietors on record, was held " at the Bull, 
in Boston," July 14, 1715. The Church was deilicaled January 8, 1717. 
The present edifice was dedicated December 29, 1S14. 

PASTORS. 

Rev. Samuel Checkley, ord. April l'\ 1710. died Dec. 1, 17G9, a?ed 73. 

Rev. Penuel Bowen, ord. colleague, April 30, 1760, left ]May 12, 1772. 

Rev. Joseph Howe, ord. May 19, 1773, died August 25, 1775, aged 2S. 

Rev. Oliver Everett, ord. January 2, 17S2, left May 27, 1792, died Nov. 
19, 1302, aged 50. 

Rev. John Thornton Kirkland, ord. Feb. 5, 1791, left Nov. 1, 1810, in- 
ducted Pres. Harvard College, Nov., 1810, died .\prir26, 1810, aged 69. 

Rev. Samuel C. Thachek, ord. INIay 15, ISll. died Jan. 2, 1S18, aged 32. 

Rev. F. W P. Greenwood, ord. Oct. 21, 181S, left June 24, 1821, died 
Aug 2, 1S13, aged 46. 

Rev. Alexander Young, ord. Jan. 19, 1325, present Pastor. 



76 



CHRIST CHURCH. 




I 



CHRIST CHURCH, SALEM STREET. 

The corner-slone was laid in 1723, and the Cliurch was opened for pub- 
lic worship the same year by the Episcopal denomination. It is situ- 
ated on Salem Street, opposite the street leading to Copp's hill. It is built 
of brick, is 70 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 35 feet high, with a steeple 175 
feet in height, having an area of 24 feet square._ This Church contains a 
set of eight bells (the only peal in the city), which were put up in 1774. 

RECTORS. 
Rev. Timothy Cutler, D. D., settled Dec. 29, 172.3, died Aug. 7, 1765. 
Rev. James Greaton, settled May 30, 1760, left Aug. 31, 1767. 
Rev, Mather Byles, Jr., settled Sept., 1763, left April, 1775. 
Rev. Stephen Lewis, settled Aug., 1773, left Sept., 17S4. 
Rev. William Montague, settled June, 1787, left May, 1792 
Rev. William Walter, D. D., settled May 29, 1792, died Dec. 5, ISOO. 
Rev. Samuel Haskell, settled May, ISOI, left Sept., 180.3. 
Rev. Asa Eaton, D. D., settled Aug. 23, 1S03, left May, 1S29. 
Rev. William Croswell, A. M., inst. June 24, 1829, left June, 1840. 
Rev. John Woaut, A, i\T.. instituted Nov. 1, 1840, left Jan.. i>r,l. 



FEDERAL STREET CHURCH. 




FEDERAL STREET CHURCH. 

The Society worshipping in this house belongs now to the Congrega- 
tional denomination, but was originally Presbyterian. The Presbyterian 
was exchanged for the Congregational form of government, by a unani- 
mous vote, August 6, 1786. Three houses of worship have stood on this 
same spot. The present house was dedicated November 23, 1309. 

The house is of the Gothic style of architecture, built of brick and sur- 
mounted by a wooden spire. In the building which preceded this, the 
State Convention sat which adopted the Constitution of the United States 
in 17SS. and in consequence the name of the street Wcis changed from Long 
lane, which it originally bore, to Federal street. 

PASTORS . 
Rev. John Moouhkad, settled March 31, 1730, died December 2, 1773. 
Rev. Robert Annan, inst. 17S3, dismissed 1786. 
Rev. Jere.my Belknap, D. D., inst. April 1, 1737, died June 16, 1798. 
Rev. John S. Popkin, D. D., ord. July 10, 1799, dis. Noveinher 28, 1802. 
Rev. William E. Channing, D. D , ord June 1, 1S03, died Oct. 2, 1842. 
Rev Ezra S Gannett. D. D., ordained Jime 30, 1824, present Pastor. 



HOI.LIS STREET CHUJiCH. 




HOIiLIS STREET CHURCH. 

This Church was gathered November 14, 1732. The first Church of 
wood, was built on the ground where the present church stands, in 1732, 
and was destroyed by fire in 1787. The second church, also of wood, was 
built in 176S, and was taken down and removed to Braintree, in 1810. 
The present edifice was built the same year, and was dedicated January I, 
1811. The Church, which is of brick, is 79^ feet by 76, e.xchisive of the 
tower. It contains 130 pews on the lower floor, and 38 in the gallery, be- 
sides seats for the choir. The steeple is 196 feet high. Hollis Street 
Church is Unitarian in sentiment. 



MINISTERS. 
Rev. Mather Byles, ordained Dec. 20, 1733, left Aug. 9, 1776. 
Rev. Ebenezer Wight, ordained Feb. 25, 1778, left 1788. 
Rev, Samuel West, installed March 12, 1789, died April 10, 180S. 
Rev. Horace Holley, installed March 9, 1809, dis. Aug. 24, 1818. 
Rev. John Pierpont, ordained April 14, 1819, left 1845. 
Rev. David Fosdick, Jr, settled 1846, left 1847. 
Rev. Thomas Starr King, present Pastor, installed December, 1848. 



TRINITY CHITRCII. 



7'J 




TRINITY CHURCH, SUMMER STREET. 

The corner-sione of the first edifice was laid April 15, 1734. by Rev. 
Roger Price, minister of King's Chapel, as Commissary of the Bishop of 
London. It was first opened for divine worship Aug. 15, 17.34. The old 
Church was taken down Aug., 18iiS, and the new Church was consecrated 
Nov. 11, 1S29. 

PASTORS. 

Rev. Addington Davenport, inducted May S, 1740, died Sept. 8, 1746. 
Rev. WiLLi.\M Hooper, inducted Aug. 2"*, 1747, died April 5. 1767. 
Rev. Wm. Walter, D. D., Assl. Min. Oct. 1763, Rector 1767, left 1775. 
Rev. Samuel Parker, D. D., A.sst. Min. 1774, Rector 1779, d. Dec. 7, 1801. 
Rev. John S. J. Gardiner. D. D., Asst. Min. 1792, Rector, 1S05, d. 1S30. 
Rev. George W. Doane, D. D., Asst. Min. 1323, Rector 1S30, left 133:3. 
Rev. John H. Hopkins, D. D., Asst. Min. Feb., 1831, left Nov., 1832. 
Rev. Jonathan M. Wainwright, P. D., Rector Mar., 1833, left Jan., 1833. 
Rev. John L. Watson, Asst. Min. June 1, 1336. 
Rt. Rev. Manton Eastburn. D. D., Rector 1843. 
Rev. Thomas M. Clark, Asst. Min. 1347, left 1851. 
Rev. Henry Vandyke Johns. D. D., Asst. Min., elected May, 1351. 



80 



MWERICK CHURCH. 




MAVERICK C0NGREQAT10\AL CHURCH, 
EAST BOSTON. 

The Maverick Church at East Boston, was gathered in May, 1S36, and 
consisted of 10 members. It was recognized by the sister churches on 
the 31stof May, 1836, by tlie name of the First Congregational Church in 
East Boston, which name was subsequently changed to its present. 

The Society worshipping with the Church, was incorporated by the Leg- 
islature in 1838, by the name of the Maverick Congregational Society. 

The first house of worship was built and dedicated in 1837. The Soci- 
ety continued to occupy this house until 1844, when the present structure 
was erected. The building is centrally and eligibly situated on the cor- 
ner of Sumner street and Maverick Square, and is of sufficient capacity 
to accommodate from 700 to 800 persons. The Church at the present 
time (May, 1851) contains 156 members. 

PASTORS. 

Rev. William W. Newell, the first Pastor, installed July 19, 1837, left 

July 21, 1841. 
Rev. Amos A. Phelps, installed March 2, 1842, left June 2, 1845. 
Rev. Roberts. Hitchcock, installed Nov, 18, 1846, left Nov. 6, 1850. 



BALDWIN PLACE BAPTIST CHTRCH. 



81 




B\IiDAVIN PLACE BAPTIST CHURCH. 

This church was organized July 27, 1743. Al its formation it consisted 
of seven members. The first Meeting-House was dedicated March 15, 
17-16, enlarged in 17^, and again enlarged in 1797. The corner-stone of 
the present edifice was laid May 2S, 1810, and the house was dedicated 
Jan. 1. 1811. The present church is built of brick, and its dimensions 
are SO feet by 75, exclusive of a tower 38 feet by IS. The first sermon 
in thi» "111 meeting-house, was preached March 15, 17-16. Tiie latter was 
iiriiriually a frame building, 45 by 33 feet, finished in a plain style, and 
contained a fount or cistern in w^hich the members were immersed. 

PASTORS. 

Rev. Ephraim Boand, ordained Sept. 7, 1743, died June 13, 1765. 
Kev. John Davis, ordained Sept. 9, 1770, dismissed July 19, 1772. 
ilev. Isaac Stillman, D. D., commenced Sept. 1773, left Oct. 7, 17S7. 
Rev. TnoMAs Gair. inst. April 22, 1789, died April 27, 1790. 
Kev. Thomas Baldwin, D. D., inst. Oct. II, 1790, died Aug. 29, IS25. 
Rev. James D. Knowles, ord. Dec. 28, 1825, dis. Sept. 20. 1832. 
Rev. Baron Stow. D. D., in.st. Nov. 15, 1832. left July 1, 1848. 
Rev. Levi Ti-cker, D. D., snttled Dit. 31, l-^H, present Pastor. 



62 



FIRST UNIVEKSAUST CHURCH. 




FIRST UNIVERSALIST CHURCH, HANOVER 

STREET. 

In the year 1735, the society of the late Samuel Mather sold their place 
of worship to Sliippie Townsend and others. In 1792, the then proprietors 
voted to enlarge the house. In 1793, Rev. John Murray, who had preached 
for the Society for several years, was installed as Pastor. In 1806, the So- 
ciety was incorporated by an Act of the Legislature. In 1838, the old 
house v^as removed, and a new and commodious brick church erected on 
the same spot. It was dedicated on the first day of January, 1839. 

From this Society, in about half a century, have emanated several oth- 
er Societies, who have erected for themselves places of worship in the 
city and vicinity, all of which are fully attended. 

PASTORS. 

Rev. John Murray, installed 1793. 
Rev. Edward Mitchell, installed 1810. 
Rev. Paul Dean, installed 1813. 
Rev. Sebastian Streeter, installed 1824. 



CATHEDRA!, OF THE HOLY CROSS. 



s:< 




CATHEDRAL. OF THE HOLY CROSS, FRAXKLIX 

STREET. 

This Church waa consecrated by Rl. Rev. Dr. Carroll, on the 29th of 
September, 180.3. It was afterwards considerably enlarged by Bishop Fen- 
wick, who also, in 1827, converted the b:isenient into a Chapel capable of 
containing 2,0(X) children. Rev. J. J. Williams has the charge of it. 

This Church is situated on Franklin street, is of large size, and capable 
of containing a very great number of persons. The architecture is of the 
Ionic order, after a plan given by Charles Bulfinch, Esq. 

PASTORS. 

Rev. Francis Matignon, D. D., from 1S03 to 1810. 
Rt. Rev. Dr. Cheverus, from IRIO to 1S23. 
Very Rev. William Taylor, from 1823 to 1S25. 

Rt. Rev. B. Fenwick, installed December, 1825, died August 11, 1846. 
Rt. Rev. John B. Fitzpatrick, succeeded Bishop Fenwick in 1846, and is 
the present Bisht>p. 



84 



FREEWILL BAPTIST CHDRCH. 




FREEWILL, BAPTIST CHURCH, NORTH 
BENXET STREET. 

This substantial and spacious edifice, in North Bennet street, was 
erected in the year 1828, for the First Methodist Episcopal Society, and 
dedicated by Rev. Stephen Marlindale, E. Wiley, then pastor. From this 
Church, which was the first Methodist society in the city, have sprung 
eight others, numbering several thousand members. In the year 1849, 
that Society purchased of tlie Unitarian, or Second Church, their new edi- 
fice in Hanover street, and removed to it in October of that year. 

In 1850, the Freewill Baptist Society purchased the edifice in North 
Bennet street, here represented, and removed to it. This Society had first 
occupied Marlboro' Chapel, and afterwards worshipped in Boylston Hall; 
then removed to Richmond street, where they remained till the year 1850. 

The Baptists of the 16th and 17th centuries, and at earlier periods, were 
persecuted with great severity. A proclamation was issued against them 
throughout England in 1533, and several were burnt at Smithfield. 

MINISTERS. 
Rev. E. NoYEs, first pastor, until 1848. 
Rev. Ransom Dunn, from 1843 to 1851. 



SECOND METHODIST CHAPEL. 



b:. 




SECOND METHODIST CHAPEL, BROMFIELD 

STREET. 

The above is a good vignette of the Second Methodist Chapel in Brom- 
field street, aa it appeared in 1S49. It is built of brick, measures 84 
by 54 feet, and is a remarkably neat building. In the middle course of 
hammered stone, in the foundation, is a block taken from the celebrated 
rock on which our forefathers landed at Plymouth. 

It was dedicated Xov. 19, 1S06. Sermon by Rev. S. Merwin, Pastor of 
the Church. In 1835, the Chapel was raised several feet, and a commodi- 
ous Vestry and two stores fitted up beneath. 

This was the second Methodist Chapel built in Boston. Number of 
Methodists in the city at that time, 237. Since the dedication of this 
Chapel, tlie pulpit has been successively occupied by 30 to3."i different 
ministers, in accordance with the usages of the Church. Rev. J. B. 
Husted was the Pastor in 1843, and has been succeeded by Rev. S. Rem- 
ington, Rev. C. Adams, Rev. S. H. Higgins, Rev. L. Crowell, and Rev. 
Isaac A. Savage, present Pastor. Number of members, 412. There are 
now ten congregations connected with tlie Methodist Ciiurch in this city. 

In LS49 this Chapel was repaired and mcrterially improved, and it noio 
presents a somewhat difl^erent appearance from this representation. 



METHODIST CHURCH, 




SOUTH BOSTON METHODIST EPISCOPAL. 

The Methodist Episcopal Church in South Boston originated in the 
summer of IS34, under the labors of Rev. Abel Stevens, then pastor of the 
Methodist congregation in Church street. He commenced occasional 
preaching in a private room which had been procured by a few pious indi- 
viduals for the purpose of holding a public prayer meeting. The numbers 
attracted by the interesting and eloquent address of Mr. Stevens, soon 
rendered it necessary to seek a more ample place of worship. "Harding's 
Hall" was procured, which they entered Oct. 31, 1834. In May, 1S36, 
they removed to "Franklin Hall," and left in 1840. 

Their house of worship, having a pleasant central location on D street, 
between Fourth street and Broadway, was consecrated for Divine service 
June 17, 1840, It is a plain, neat edifice, of the Gothic style of architec- 
ture, and capable of seating about 550 persons. This Chapel in 1851 waa 
enlarged and remodelled. The basement was raised six feet, 

PASTORS. 
F. P. Tracy, 1S36. O. R. Howard, 1837. J. Macreading, 1833. J. 
MuDGE, Jr., 1839. H. C. Dunham, 1840. I. A. Savage, 1841 -42. J. 
Whitman, 1843-44. J, W. Merrill, 1845. G. F. Poole, 1846-47, 
H. V Degen, 1848-49. E. Cooke, 1850-51. 



FIKST CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 




FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH, CORNER OF 
SUMMER AND SEA STREETS. 

ThisChvirch was organized July 1, 1804, with seven members. Their 
first meetings were held in a large wooden building in Friend street, then 
adjoining the Mill Pond. They afterwards occupied a hall in Bedford 
street, and Dec. 29, 1825, dedicated the brick meeting-house at the corner 
of Summer and Sea streets. 

This Society have had many preachers who have generally remained 
only a short time. When they are without a minister, the parishioners 
exhort among themselves. This is a privilege extended to members of 
other denominations. The Rev. Abner Johnes, of Hartland, Vermont, 
was the first nrinister over this Society, which was the fifth of the denom- 
ination organized in this country. 

Number of members in 1S44, 192. 

PASTORS. 

A. JoHNKs, fromlSO-ltol'507. E. Smith, from 1 SIB to 1817. S Clough, 
from 1S19 to 1824. Q. INIorgridge from 1825 to 1826. I. C. Goff, from 
1828 to 1S29. J. V. HiMEs. from 1^30 to 1837. S. Clough, from 1837 to 
ia39. E. BuRNHAM, from 1-^39 to 18-40. J. S. Thompson, from 1841 to 
1844. E. Edmono.s. present Pastor. 1844. 



88 



FIRST INDEPENDENT BAPTIST CHURCH. 




FIRST imj»kfem:)ent baptist church, 

BKLKXAP STREET. 

This Church was consliluled under the title of the " African Baptist 
Church," on the 5th day of August, A. D. 1305. It was incorporated 
under its present title, A. D. 1833. 

The building was erected for the use of colored persons, and was dedi- 
cated in December, IS06, when the Rev. Thomas Paul was installed as 
minister. Tlie house is 43 by 40 feet, of 3 stories, and built of brick. 

The building, which was built by subscription, is situated in a court 
near Belknap street, adjoining the "Smith School " edifice. It is very 
plain and commodious, being capable of seating 600 persons. The pro- 
prietors have it in contemplation, if the necessary means can be raised, to 
modernize, and otherwise improve the premises. 

PASTORS . 

T. Paul, from 1305 to 1829. W. Christian, ind. 1832, left 1832. S. 
GoocH. from 1832 to 1831. J. Given, from 1834 to 1835. A. Archer, 
from 1836 to 1837. G. H. Black, from 1833 to 1841. J. T. Raymond, 
from 1842 to 1847. W. B. Serrington, from 1847 to 1849. A. T. Wood, 
inst. 1850, left 1S.50. W. Thompson, settled October, 1350, present Pas- 
tor 



THIRD BAPTIST CHURCH. 



H5) 




THIRD BAPTIST CHURCH, CHARLES STREET. 

This Church, consisting originally of 19 members from the Second 
Baptist Church, and of 5 from the First, was constituted August 5, 1807. 
On the same day the Meeting-House was dedicated to the worship of God. 
It is built of brick, and e.tclusive of the tower, is 75 feet square. It is an 
elegant edifice, adorned with a cupola and hell, and cost $27,000. That 
portion of the street on which this Church was built, was reclaimed from 
the flats. The bell here used, was the first used in Boston by the Bap- 
tists. 

On the 5th of October, 1307, Rev. Caleb Blood, of Shaftsbury, Vt., 
accepted an invitation to become its Pastor, and the relation between Mr. 
Blo:)d and the Church was dissolved June 5, 1810. The present Pastor, 
Rev. Daniel Sharp, D. D., entered on his pastoral labors on the first Sab- 
bath in March, 1312, although he was not installed until the 29th of April, 
1312. 

Dr. Lowell, of the West Church, is the oldest pastor in Boston now 
officiating. Settled in 1806. Dr. Sharp of this Church is the next. Set- 
tled m 1312. 



90 



PARK STREET CHURCH. 




PARK STREET CHURCH, 

(As sctn from the Common, 7iear the big Elm ) 

This Church was gathered February 27, 1S09. At its formation it con- 
sisted of 26 members. The corner-stone of the church edifice was laid 
May 1, 1809, and consecrated January 10, 1810. 

This Church is situated at the corner of Tremont and Park streets, — 
one of the most commanding and delightful spots in the city. The archi- 
tectural beauty of the spire, elevated 218 feet above the pavement, adds 
much to the appearance of the metropolis, and forms one of its most 
striking features when viewed from the harbor or the surrounding country. 

Number of members in July, 1842, 596, of whom 432 are females. 

PASTORS . 

E. D. Griffin, from 1811 to 1815. S. E. Dwight, from 1817 to 1826. 
E. Beecher, from 1826 to 1830. J. H. Linsley, foom 1832 to 1835. S. 
Aiken, from 1837 to 1848. A. L. Stone, present Pastor, installed Janu- 
ary 25, 1849. 



HAWES PLACE CHURCH. 



91 




HAAVES PliACE CHURCH, SOUTH BOSTON. 

The Hawe-s Place Congregational Society was incorporated in the year 
ISIS. The Church was formed Oct. 27, 1819. and consisted of 14 members. 
The Church was built in IS32. ami dedicated January 1st, 1S3.'3. 

This society in South Boston originated in the desire of a few individu- 
als, mostly of the Rev. Dr. Harris's congregation in Dorchester, to be ac- 
commodated with a nearer place of worship. 

The appearance of the Church has lately been greatly improved by re- 
moving the steps in front, and by other alterations. 

I\Ir. Hawes, the founder of the Church, dietl Jan. 20, 1S26, aged 88 years, 
leaving by his will sufficient funds for the support of the ministry. 

The first minister, Mr. Wood, received ordination as an Evangeli.st, from 
a Council assembled at Weymouth, Nov. 13, 1821, and died in 1S22, with- 
out sustaining a pastoral relation to the society. The Rev. Lemuel Capon 
was invited to become their minister Jan. 2S, 182:3, and sustained this re- 
lation to the society without a formal installation, in consequence of his 
connection with the Public School. He was installed as Pastor, Oct. 31, 
K827, and left in 1839. Rev. Charles C. Shackford was ordained May 19, 
1341, left 1814. Rev. George W. Lippet was ordained 1844, left 1S51. The 
pulpit is at prospiit unsnpplifd. 



M 



MATTHEW S CHURCH. 




ST. MATTHEAV'S PROTESTANT EPISCOPAIi 
CHURCH, SOUTH BOSTON. 

Thia Church was organized in March, 1816, and for about two years ser- 
vices were held in the school-house, conducted by a lay reader. Tlie 
services of the Protestant Episcopal Church were celebrated for the first 
time, in that part of the city called South Boston, on Sunday, March 31, 
1316. 

This Church is situated on Broadway, and is a neat and commodious 
brick building. The expenses of its erection were chiefly defrayed by be- 
nevolent members of Trinity and Christ Churches. 

PA ST ORS. 

From ISIS, till 1321, the public services were performed by laymen, or 
by clergymen who made occasional visits to the Church. The first or- 
dained minister was 

Rev. J. L. Blake, June. 1824, left June, 1832. 

Rev. M. A. D'W. Howe, Aug., 1332, left Oct., 1832. 

The Church was then closed till Feb., 1834. 

Rev. E. M. P. Wells, Feb., 1834, left April, 1835. 

Rev. H. L. CoNOLLY, May, 18.35, left May, 1838. 

Rev. Joseph H. Clinch, June, 1S.38. present rector. 



SECOND rXlVERSALIST CHITRUH. 



y3 




SECOND UIVIVERSAIilST CHURCH, SCHOOL 

STREET. 

The Second Universalist Church, standing in School street, was conse- 
crateil October 16, 1817. The present Pastor, Hosoa Ballon, was installed 
on the '2oih of the following Decennber ; having commenced his labors in 
the Chnrch the Sabbath following its dedication. The Church was formed 
the third Sabbath in December, 1S17. As this communion is free to 
all who profess Christ, the number varies, ranging from one hundred to 
one hundred and fifty, the larger part females. 

The house is a plain brick building, without a steeple, 75 feet long and 
67 broad. With the corner-stone a silver plate was deposited, being the 
gift of Dr. David Townsend, bearing the following inscription : — 

" The Second Universalist Church devoted to the service of the true 
God, Jesus Christ being the chief corner-stone, May 19th, 1817." 

In 1S4G, Rev. E. H. Chapin became connected with this society as an 
assistant to Rev. IMr. Ballou, he left in 1843. Rev. A. A. IMiner, settled 
ISIay 31, 1848. 

Tlie Unity of God is advocated by the Pastor of this Society. 



91 



CHAPEL, THILLIPS PLACE. 




THE CHAPEL., PHILLIPS PLACE, TREMONT 

STREET. 

This cut represents a front view of the hall in Phillips Place, where the 
Boston Society of the New Jerusalem formerly worshipped. This Society 
was instituted August 15, 1818, at which time it consisted of 12 members. 
It had had no consecrated place of public worship for a nunjber of years, 
but met in Phillips Place. The Society erected a Church on Bowdoin 
street, in 1844, and removed to it in 1845. 

The members of this Society are believers in the doctrines of the New 
Jerusalem, as revealed in the writings of Emmanuel Swedenborg. The 
three following are the principal doctrines of this Church. First, that 
God is one in Essence and in Person, and that he is the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Secondly, that the Word or Sacred Scriptures is Divine Truth, that it con- 
tains internal senses within the literal, by means of which it is adapted to 
all the various states of angels and men. Thirdly, that man is regenerated 
and thus prepared for heaven by living according to the Ten Conmiand- 
ments, and by acknowledging that his power to will and do them is the 
Lord alone. 

Thomas Worcester, present Pastor, settled in 1823. 



ESSEX STREET CHURCH. 



95 




UNION CHURCH, ESSEX STREET. 

This Church was gathered August 26, 1822. The Meeling-House in 
Essex street was dedicated in December, 1S16, and is owned by the Essex 
Street Cnngregational Society. It was rebuilt in 1S-1(I-41, and reopened 
March 2S, 1S41. The tower of this Church is new, and is seen to the best 
etTect from the corner of Harrison avenue and Essex street, as presented 
in the engraving. The side walls of the old house, with the roof, were 
carried up 12 or 15 feet, and a new floor inserted above the ground floor. 
A commodious and well-proportioned lecture-room now occupies a part of 
the original floor of the hnuse, entirely above ground. A marble pulpit, 
the first of that material in Boston, was placed in the Church when it was 
rebuilt. There is also a pedestal Font of white marble in the Chinch. 

The part of the city in tlie vicinity of this Church has lately been much 
imi)roved by the erection of handsome blocks of dwellings, and the open- 
ing of a new street opposite the Church from Essex street to Beach street. 

PASTORS . 

Rev. S.vMUEL Green, inst. March 26, 1823, dismissed March 26. I83I. 
Rev. Nehemiah Adams, present Pastor, installed March 26, 1S.31. 

The whole number of members July, 1842, was 576, of whom 130 were 
males, and 446 females. 



niPMwm !■ II 



I n II > ■■iiwiw I ■mill I'M I I 



96 



ST. PAUL'S CHURCH. 



mp^^^' 




ST. PAUL'S CHURCH? TREMOXT STREKT. 

The corner-stone was laid September 4th, 1819, with appropriate solem- 
nities. The Church was consecrated June 30, 1820. 

This edifice is situated on Tremont street, between Winter and West 
streets, and fronts towards tlie Conmion. It is built of fine ^ray gran 
ite, and is an imitation, so far as respects the architecture, of a Grecian 
model of the Ionic order. The body of the Church is about 112 feel long 
by 72 feet wide, and 40 feet high from the platform to the top of the cor- 
nice. The portico projects about 14 feet, and has six Ionic columns, .3 
feet 5 inches in diameter, and 32 feet high, of Potomac sandstone, laid in 
courses. The interior of St. Paul's is remarkable for its simplicity and 
beauty. The ceiling is a cylindrical vault, with panels which span the 
whole width of the Church. It makes an imposing appearance, and is a 
credit to the city. 

RECTORS. 
Rev. Samuel Farmer Jarvis, D. D., instituted July 7, 1820, connection 

dissolved August 22, 1825. 
Rev. Alonzo Potter, D. D., inst. Aug. 29, 1826, dissolved Sept. 6, 1831. 
Rev. Dr. John S. Stone, inst. June 19, 1832, dissolved June 7, 1841. 
Rev. Alexander H. Vinton, instituted June, 1842, present Rector. 



BULFINCH STREET CHURCH. 



97 




BLLFlXCIl STKKKT CIILRCH. 

The house is of brick, and is 74 by 70 feet, having for its front a pedi- 
ment in wood supported by half columns, the centre ones in imitation of 
freestone, and the outer ones white, corresponding with the entablature. 
There are three principal entrances to the Church in front. It is sur- 
mounted in front on each corner by cupolas, in one of which is an excel- 
lent toned bell. The proportions and arrangement of the interior are in 
good tciste both for speaking and effect. 

The Society worshipping at this Church was incorporated by an Act of 
the Legislature, January 21st, 1823, by the name of the " Central Univer- 
salist Society." The corner stone was laid October 7th, 1822, and the fol- 
lowing is the principal inscription on the plate deposited underneath : — 

" HE th.it built and sustains all things is Jehovah. Thishou.se, devoted to the 
worship of Almijrhly God, and the promulg.ition of bis great Salvation through 
Jesu« Christ, the Chief Corner-Stone, was commenced, and this stone laid October 
VII., in the year of our Lord MDCCCXXII., of the Independence of the United 
States the forty-sixth, and of the Institution of the city of Boston, the first." 

PASTORS. 
Paul Dean, installed May 7, 1923, resigned May 3, 1840. 
Frederick T. Gray, present Pastor, installed November 26, 1839. 



98 



PHILLIPS CHURCH. 




PHILLIPS CHURCH, SOUTH BOSTON. 

This Church was gathered December 10, 1823, consisting at that time 
of thirteen persons. Rev. Prince Hawes, who had been some time preach- 
ing for them, was installed over them April 28, 1824. A house of worship 
was erected at the junction o Broadway and A street, and dedicated 
March 9, 1825. Mr. Hawes was dismissed April 13, 1827, and on the 22d 
of November of the same year, Rev. Joy H. Fairchild was installed, and 
was dismissed at his own request, May 16, 1842. The place of worship 
being too small, a larger one was erected on the same location and dedi- 
cated May 4, 4836. 

The number of members in 1843 was 240. 

The house is built of wood, and has 104 pews on the lower floor, and 
will accommodate, including the gallery, about seven hundred persons. 



MINISTERS. 

Prince Hawes, installed April 28, 1824, left April 18, 1827. 
J. H. FAiRCHiLn, installed November 22, 1827, left May 16, 1842. 
W. W. Patton, installed January 18, 1843, left in 1845. 
John W. Alvord, installed November 4, 1846, present Pastor. 



CHUnCH OF THE AUV£NT. 



i)9 




u 



CHURCH OF THE ADVEXT, GREEX STREET. 

This Society was iiicorporaled in 1S-J6, and worshipped formerly in a 
liall at the corner of Lowell and Causeway streets. In December, 1S48, 
they removed to the Green Street Church. The seats in this Church are 
free, and supported by the free-will offering of the worshippers. The 
number of communicants is about 200. Rev. William Croswell, D. D., has 
had pastoral charge of the parish from its first organization. 

The MeetingHouse in Green street was consecrated for Divine wor- 
ship, October 25, 1826. This religious society arose out of the labors of 
Iheir pastor. Rev. William Jenks, D. D., who was installed over then) on 
the day of the consecration of their house of worship, October 25, 1S26. 

This building is plain, but neat. It is .^^urinounted by a square tower of 
a single slory, from a classic model. The seals can conveniently accommo- 
date about 750 persons. In 1843 this building was sold to the Episcopal 
denomination, and is now occupied by the Church of the Advent, being 
the eighth organized Protestant Episcopal Church in Boston. 

The Rev. W. Croswell, D. D., the present rector, was appointed at the 
season of Advent, (December,) 1844 ; and the Rev. F. W. Pollard, called 
as assistant minister in lS-15. The Rev. O. S Pre.'-cott is now a.ssistant. 



100 



TWELFTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 




TWELFTH COXGREGATSONAL. CHURCH, 
CHAMBERS STREET. 

Early in the year 1823, several gentlemen resolved to attempt the forma- 
tion of a new Congregational society, and the erection of a meeting-house 
for their accommodation in the western part of the city. In a few weeks 
102 persons subscribed the sum of $23,300 for the building. An Act of 
incorporation was granted by the legislature on the 14th of June, 1823, for 
the '• Twelfth Congregational Society in the city of Boston." The comer- 
stone of the new house was laid May 10, 1824, and the building was dedi- 
cated on the 13th of October following, on which occasion the sermon 
was preached by the Rev. John G. Palfrey. 

The Church is pleasantly located on Chambers street, between Allen and 
McLean streets, and cost (land included) $ 34,000. It has 152 pews, and 
will accommodate 1,000 persons. The Rev. Samuel Barrett, of the- Cam- 
bridge Theological School, became the pastor, and on the 9th of February, 
1825, was ordained, and has since remained the pastor. 

The parish library was established in the year 1S26, and the Sunday 
School in 1S27. The Society comprises about 200 families, is free from 
debt, and expends annually for the support of public worship, about thirty- 
one hundred dollars. 



BOWDOIM STREET CHURCH. 



101 




BOWDOIX STREET CHURCH. 

The Bowdoin Street Congregational Society, or Ciiurch, was organized 
July 13, 1525, under the name of the Hanover Street Church, and tiie cor- 
ner-stone of the first Meeting House was laid in Hanover Street, by the 
Rev. B. B. Wisner. It was dedicated to the worship of God on the Ist 
day of 3Iarch, 1826, and burned down on the morning of the 1st of Feb- 
ruary, 1830. Soon after this bereavement, the church and congregation 
adopted measures to repair the loss, purchased a lot of land in Bowdoin 
Street, where the present house was built, and obtained a charier from the 
legislature of the Stale, as the " Bowdoin Street Congregational Society." 

Whole number of members in May, 1S51, were 447. The edifice is a 
massive stone structure, 75 feet front by 93 feet in depth, built in the 
primitive Gothic style. The tower is 23 feel by 20, projecting 6 feet from 
the main wall. The house is in the centre of Bowdoin street. 

PASTORS . 

Rev. Lyman Beecher, D. D , inst. March 22, l^G, dis. Sept. 36, 1S32. 

Rev. Hubbard Winslow, inst. Sept. 26, 1S32, dismissed 1844. 

Rev. Jareh B. Waterburv, D. D., present Pastor, inst. Sept. 2, 1816. 



102 



ST. VINCENT DE PAUL's CHURCH. 




ST. VIK^CENT DE PAUL-'S CHURCH, ROMAN 
CATHOLIC, PURCHASE STREET. 

The corner-stone of this edifice was laid September 7, 1S25, and the 
house was dedicated on Thursday, August 24, 1S26, for the use of the 
Unitarian denomination. 

The building is constructed of rough hewn granite, and covers a space 
of 81 by 74 feet. It stands near Liverpool wharf, where the famous Tea 
vessels were moored during the memorable 16lh of December, 1773. The 
pastors were Rev. George Ripley, ordained November 8, 1826, and Rev. 
James I. T. Coolidge, ordained February 9, 1842. 

Owing to the many changes thai had occurred in that portion of the 
city, the Unitarian Society worshipping in this Church decided, in the 
year 1847, to erect a new building in a more central position, for the 
greater convenience and accommodation of the majority of the members. 
A lot was accordingly purchased during that year for this purpose. 

In May 1843, the Society removed to their New Church at the corner of 
Harrison avenue and Beach street. The Purchase Street Church has been 
owned by the Roman Catholics since that period, and is now known as St. 
Vincent de Paul's. Rev. M. P. Galigher, Pastor, from May, 1848, and at 
present officiating. 



HARVAUD STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. 



103 




HARVARD STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. 

This Church was constilnted March 27, 1S39. consistin;rnf 121 members, 
derived chiefly from the various Baptist Chiirclies in the city. They now 
number 500. As they met at first in Boylston Hall, ihey took the name 
of the Boylston Street Church, which has been chanaed to that of the 
Harvard Street Church, since their removal to the new place of worship. 
From Boylston Hall they moved to the Melodeon, and thence to the new 
Church. 

The corner-stone of the Church was laid in Blay, 1842. It is situated 
at the corner of Harvard street and Harrison avenue. It is a beautiful and 
commodious edifice, wiih a stone front. It will accommodate between 
1,100 a:id 1,200 persons. The inside is distinguished for great neatness and 
convenience. 

Their first Pastor was the Rev. Robert Tiirnbull, who was installed 
August 25, iS39. Rev. Joseph Banvard, settled as minister in ISA6, and 
is the present Pastor. The Baptists were, as a Society, much persecuted 
in the seventeenth century, and prosecutions by the civil authorities were 
numerous against them in Boston, about the year 16(55. In 1729, the leg- 
islature of Connecticut passed an act to exempt Baptists and Quakers 
from ministerial taxes. 



104 



PINK STREET CHURCH. 




PINE STREET CHURCH. 

This Church, consisting of 42 members, was organized Sept. 2, 1827, 
The corner-stone of the Cliurch edifice was laid June 20, of the same year, 
and the house dedicated by the Congregational denomination, Dec. 25, 
1327. The house has been extensively repaired, and some material alter- 
ations made in the year 1851. It is 71 feet in width and 80 in length, and 
contains 182 pews. The whole exterior is of a classic form, modelled af- 
ter the Temple of Theseus at Athens. On the south side is a pleasant 
Green. The interior of the edifice was remodelled in 1842. In the base- 
ment is a Vestry, 46 by 40, and a Committee room, 27 feet by 20. The 
front gallery is furnished with a handsome clock. Present number of 
members is about 200. 

PASTORS. 
Rev. Thomas H. Skinner, D. D., inst. April 19, 1828, left Aug. 27, 1823. 
Rev. JoNA. Brown, D. D., inst. March 14, 1829, left Feb. 16, 1831. 
Rev. Amos A. Phelps, inst. Sept. 13, 1831, left March 26, 1834. 
Rev. Artemas Boies, inst. Dec. 10, 1834, left Nov. 9, 1840. 
Rev. Austin Phelps, inst. March 31, 1842, left May, 1848. 
Rev. H. M. Dexter, present Pastor, ordained 1849. 



SALEM STREET CUVRCU. 



105 




SALEM STREET CHURCH. 

This Church was organized September 1, IS27. At its formation it con- 
sisted of 97 members, viz. 34 males and 63 females. The corner-stone of 
the Church edifice was laid July 17, 1S27. It was consecrated January 1, 
1S2S. The whole number of members united to the Church, including the 
first organization, is S67. The number of members remaining November 
14, 1S42, oG7 ; of whom 185 are males, and 3S2 females. 

This Church is built of brick, and is situated at the corner of Salem and 
North Bennett streets. It has a swelled front, and is a commodious build- 
ing, containing 134 pews on the lower floor, and 32 in the gallery, and two 
vestries in the basement. The body of the house is 74 by 71 feet. The 
vestibule projects in front about 12 feet. The ceiling is a simple arch from 
side to side, springing from a projecting belt of stucco which extends 
around the entire building. 

PASTORS. 
Rev. Justin Edwards, D. D., insl. Jan. 1, 1823, dis. Aug. 20, 1S29. 
Rev. George W. Blagden, Inst. Nov. 3, 1830, dis. Sept. 5, 1836. 
Rev. Joseph H. Tovvne, installed June 2, 1837, left Dec. 27, 1843. 
Rev. EnwARD Beecher, inst. March 13, 1844. 



106 



SOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 




SOUTH CONGREGATIONAL. CHURCH. 

This Cliurch edifice was erected in 1828, and was intended for the min- 
istrations of Rev. Dr. Holley, wlio formerly preached in the Hollis street 
pulpit. Blr. Holley was on his return from Kentucky to take charge of 
it, when suddenly his melancholy death disappointed the hopes of his 
friends who had erected the Church. The Church was dedicated Jan. 30, 
1S2S; the Rev. Mellidh Irving Motte, who had formerly been an Epis- 
copal clergyman in Charleston, S. C, but had become a Unitarian, was 
invited to settle as Pastor, and May 21 . the same year, was ordained. Dr. 
Channing preached the sermon. The Society, under Mr. Motte. consist- 
ed of about 160 families. It showed great zeal in paying off a heavy debt 
that had been incurred in building the Church. In July, 1842, Mr. Motte 
reque.ited that his connection \\ith the Society might be dissolved. In 
September, the same year. Mr. Frederick D. Huntington, of the Theologi- 
cal School, Cambridge, was invited with great unanimity to lake charge 
of the congregation, and on the evening of October 19, was ordained. 

The liouse contains 124 pews on the floor, and 42 in the gallery. 



mariners' church. 



107 




MARINERS' CHURCH, PURCHASE STREET. 

This Church is under the charge of the Boston Seamen's Friend Society, 
formed in January, 1828. The Society previously worshipped in tlie hall 
oil Central wharf 

The corner-stone of this church edifice was laid August 11, 1829, and 
was dedicated January 1, 1830. A Church of 9 members w;xs organized, 
for the special benefit of seamen and their families, January 20, 1830. 

The Mariners' Church is situated in Purchase street, on the easterly 
^ide of Fort Hill, fronting the harbor. Over it waves the Bethel Flag, in- 
viting the hardy seamen of Columbia to gather around tlie altar of their 
God, and each Sabbath day witnesses these gallant men, who never bent 
10 a victor, on their knees before Him, in his house. 

PASTORS. 

Rev. Jov.vTHAN Gree.nleaf. chosen February 13, 1S30, dismissed No- 
vember, 18.33. 
Rev. DANiEr, M. Lord, installed Nov. 11, 1834, dismissed July 20, 18-18. 
Rev. George W. Bour.ve. installed February 15, 1819. present Pastor. 



108 



seamen's church. 




SEAMEN'S CHURCH, OR BETHEL., 

]VORTH SQUARE. 

The Belliel, in North Scjuare, is owned by the Port Society for the city 
of Boston and vicinity, and cost $2.8,000. 

In the year 1823, several gentlemen of our city, of the Methodist Epis- 
copal persuasion, urged by an enlarged philanthropy, organized themselves 
into a .society, for ll)e moral and religious instruction of seamen, to be 
called '■ The Port Society of Boston and its vicinity." The Betliel was 
the first fruits of their design, and no one of our public charities has re- 
ceived a greater share of public eulogium. Another early act of tlie 
founders was to procure and settle a pastor over the Bethel, and their 
choice fell upon the Rev. Edward T. Taylor, who still continues to labor 
among his "chilih-en." as he affectionately terms the seamen, and his la- 
bors are attended with eminent success, alike creditable to himself and 
the great cause he advocates. 

The edifice, of which the above is a representation, is all built of brick, 
with the exception of the basement, which is of unhammered Quincy 
granite. It is 81 by 53 feet, and is capable of containing 1,500 persons. A 
part of the basement is used for a reading-room, for the benefit of those 
seamen who have leisure and inclination to visit it. 



GRACE ClUTRCH. 



109 




GRACE CHURCH, TEMPLE STREET. 

This Society was lormed in lS2i), ant! coiiUuued to increase very gradu- 
ally until towards January, 1835, when it was incorporated under the title 
of " Grace Church in liie City of Boston." 

The cornerstone of the Church edifice was laid June 30, 1835, and it 
was consecrated hy the Right Reverend Bishop Griswold, June 14, 1S36. 

The architecture of this Church is generally much admired, and it is a 
better specimen of the Gothic style than is ordinarily found in New Eng- 
land. The interior is beautifully painted by M. Bragaldi. The exterior 
of the building, including the towers (which are of the octagonal form). 
is 87 feet; breadth G-> feet. The basement is divided into 2 large rooms 
for lecture.-?, Sunday-schools, &c. The height from the main floor above 
the basement to the centre of the main arch, is 45 feet ; an arch is thrown 
over each of the side galleries, which is intersected by arches opposite the 
three windows on each side, and resting on each side upon four cluster col- 
umns of 24 inches diameter. 

HECTORS. 

Rev. Thomas I\I. Clakk, instituted November 13, 1836. left 1S43. 

Rev. Ci.EME.NT N. Butler, D. D , instituted 1844, left 1847. 

Re.v. Charlks Mason, present Pastor, in.«tituted 1848. 



IIA 



FO'-RTM IT.S'lVKP.SALiHT Cn-R"!!. 




FOURTH UIVIVERSALIST CHURCH, SOUTH 

BOSTON. 

This edifice is situated at the corner of B street and Broadway. It was 
built, and is now occupied by tlie "Fourth Universalisl Society," which 
was gathered in April, 1S30, um'er the labors of Rev. Benjamin Whilte- 
more, who was installed April 10, 1833. Rev. Thomas D. Cook, present 
minister, installed in 1844. From a small beginning the Society has grad- 
ually increased in numbers and prosperity. The Society was organized 
May 30, 1831, and incorporated April 19, 1837. 

Connected with the Society is a Church, numbering about 80 members. 
Also a Sabbath School with 230 scholars and 45 teachers. 

The Church edifice presents nothing very remarkable to the eye in point 
of arcbitecture. It is built of wood, with a brick basement, which con- 
tains two stores and the Vestry. The furniture and interior ornaments 
are neat, and well adapted to the comfort and convenience of the speaker 
and auditory. The origin of the denomination of Universalisls in Amer- 
ica, was in the year 1770. Mr. John Murray commenced preaching near 
New York ; visited Philadelphia and several parts of New Jersey ; came 
in 1773 to Newport, and thence to Boston, where he arrived on the 26lh of 
October of that year. 



CENTRAL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 



Ill 




CENTRAL. COXGRKGAIIOXAL, CHURCH, 
AVIXTER STREET. 

Tliis Church was or!x:mized I\Iay 11, l<io, consisting of G2 mcmbcrd, 
and commenced public worship at the Odeon, August 6, 1835, under the 
name of the Franklin Street Church. 

The corner-stone of the Church edifice was laid May 27, ISil, and the 
Cliurch consecrated Dec. 31, IS^U. The Central Congregational Society 
was organized Dec. 7, 1S41, and the Franklin Street Church assumed the 
name of the Central Congregational Church, Dec. 24, 18-11. The number 
of members in January 1, IS-jO, was 4G2. 

The front of this Church is of the Corinthian order; the two fluted col- 
umns and lieauliful capitals of Quincy granite sustaining the entablature, 
that, united, form an elevation of about 53 feel from the ground, and of 4 1 
in width, present an imposing appearance. The interior arrangement of 
the house embraces all modern improvemcnta in this department of archi- 
tecture. 

PASTORS. 

Rev. "William M. Rogers, installed August 6, 1835. 

Uov. George Richards, Installed October 8, 1845. 



112 



FIFTH UNIVERSALIST CUUIiCH. 




FIFTH UNIVERSALIST CHURCH, WARREN 

STREET. 

The Fifth Universalisl Society was formed January, 1836. It wor- 
shipped in Boylston Hall three years, when it removed to the Meeting- 
House erected for its use in Warren, near Tremont street. The house 
was dedicated in February, 1839. 

The Meeting-House is built of brick, with a granite basement, and con- 
tains 162 pews, and will seat about 1,100 persons. It is furnished with 
a fine-toned organ. In the basement there is a large vestry and three 
school-rooms. 

The Church, which originally consisted of 85 members, was formed in 
1837. It has now about 350 members. The communion is administered 
once a month. There are connected with the Society two Sabbath Schools, 
consisting of about 300 children, and 70 teachers. There are also two fe- 
male charitable associations connected with the Society. 

PASTORS . 

Rev. Otis A. Skinner, settled January, 1837, resigned April, 1846. 
Rev. J. S. Dennis, installed January, 1847, resigned June, 1848, 
Rev. Otis A. Skinner, reinstalled March, 1S49. 



ST. AUGL'STINK S CIU'RCH. 



113 




ST. AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH, SOUTH BOSTOX. 

This Church was erected in IS19, by the Catholic Congregation of Bos- 
ton, with the approbation and assistance of the Rt. Rev. Bishop Cheverus. 
It was enlarged, rendered fit for Divine service, and afterwards consecrated 
by Bishop Fcnwick, in 1833. A tablet in front of the building bears the 
following inscription : — " Erected by the Catholic Congregation of Bos- 
ton, with the approbation and assistance of Right Reverend Bishop 
Cheveru3, A. D. 1S19." 

This building is not at present used as a regular place of worship, but is 
occasionally used as a cemetery Cliapel. A large cemetery is attached to 
the Church lot, on Dorchester street. South Boston. 

The house is surrounded and nearly hidden by large Elm trees ; and the 
traveller as he passes it is surprised with its rural beauty in the summer, 
no less than by its mournful and desolate aspect in the winter. 

PASTORS. 

Rev. Thomas Lynch, from the year 1833 to 1836. 
Rev. John Mahony, from the year 1836 to 1839. 
Rev. M. Lynch, from the year 1839 to 1840. 
Rev. F. FiTZSiMMONS, December 21, 1840. 



114 



SOUTH BAPTIST CHUKCH. 




SOUTH BAPTIST CHURCH, SOUTH BOSTON. 

On the 23th of August, 1S23, 19 individuals were constituted a branch 
of the Federal Street Baptist Church. This branch was publicly recog- 
nized as an independent Church, March 27, 1S31, then numbering 52 
members. 

The branch originally met for public worship in a small house formerly 
occupied by the Methodists. They were aided for several years by the 
" Baptist Evangelical Society." Their present house was dedicated to the 
worship of God, July 22, 1830. It is on the corner of C street and Broad- 
way, The building has nothing remarkable in its appearance, though to 
the antiquarian there are interesting associations connected with its his- 
tory. 

PASTORS. 

R. H. Neale, who had supplied the pulpit nearly three years, from 1833 
to 1834. T. R. Cressey, from 1834 to 1835. Thomas Drier, from 1838 
to 1843. Duncan Dunbar, from 1844 to 1845. George W. Bosworth 
assumed the charge February 22, 1846, present Pastor. 



CHL'ICH STKEET CHUUCH. 



Ilo 




TIIIEiD METHODIST EPISCOPAL. CHURCH. 

This Church w.ia gathered ami the firsl sermon delivered on the 4lh of 
July, 1S:>1. The Church at that time consisled of between 20 and 30 in- 
dividuals, and was soon increased to 60, from other Methodist Churches 
in the city. From the time of its commencement, it has steadily in- 
creased, and at the present time its numbers are 320. The building was 
erected in 1827, for a Presbyterian Church, under the pastoral care of 
i Rev. Ja.s. Sabine. In 1S29, I\Ir. Sabine and a part of his Society withdrew 
from the Presbyterian connection, and embraced the sentiments of the 
Epi-scopalians; in consequence of which the Meeting-House became va- 
cant until occupied by the above Society. 

PASTORS. 



Rev. Abel Stevens, 
Rev. M. L. Sc0DDER, 
Rev. Edward Otheman, 
Rev. James Porter, 
Rev. T. C. Pierce, 
Rev. AViLLiAM Smith , 



Rev. Daniel Wise, 
Rev. George Pickering, 
Rev. Minor Raymond, 
Rev. A. D. Merrill, 
Rev. T. C. Pierce, 
Rev. J. D. Bridge, 



Kev. Loranus Crowell, Pastor, 1S51. 



116 



ST. Mary's catholic church. 




ST. MARY'S CHURCH, EXDICOTT STREET. 

This Church was consecrated by Bishop Fenwick, of the Roman Cath- 
olic Church, on the 22d of May, 1836. 

This Church is situated on Endicott street, at the corner of Cooper 
street. It is built of rough stone, and is a beautiful and durable edifice. 
It has a spacious and convenient basement. 

PASTORS. 

Rev. William Wiley, from May, 1836, to April, 1837. 

Rev. P. O'Beirne, from 1837 to 1838. 

Rev. Michael Healy, from 1838 to 1841. 

Rev. Thomas O'Flaherty, from January, 1841, to March, 1842. 

Rev. John Fitzpatrick, from March 4, 1842, to 1847. 

Rev. John P. Flood, from 1847 to 1849. 

Rev. John McElroy, present Minister, 1851. 

Rev. F. B. Kroes, and Rev. Francis Lachat, assistant Ministers. 

The first movements of the Roman Catholics to form a Society in Bos- 
ton were in the year 1784. These were prompted by the Irish and French 
emigrants, under the pastoral charge of the Abbe La Poitrie, a chaplain 
in the French navy. 



ST. Patrick's church. 



117 




ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH, AORTHAMPTOX 

STREET. 

This Church was consecrated on the 11 th of December, 1S36, by Bishop 
Fenwick, for the use of llie Catliolics at the South end. 

First and present Pastor, Kev. Thomas Lynch. 

This Church is located at a section of Boston, where the population, 
particularly the foreigners, is rapidly increasing. It iqoiniformly thronged 
with devoted worshippers. 



HOLY TRIXITY CHUCRH, SUFFOLK STREET. 

The corner-stone of this Church was laid on tlie 2Glh of June. 18 12. by 
Bishop Fenwick. It is situated in Suffolk street, and wlien completed 
will l)e appropriated to the use of the German Catliolics of this city. Its 
Pastor is llie Rev. P. RolofT 

The Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church who have resided at Boston, 
have been as follows. Rt. Rev. J. Pe Cheverus, afterwards Archbishop of 
Bordeau.x till 1S46. Arrived m 17fl6. departed in H'i3. Rt. Rev. B. J. 
Fenwick. Arrived lS2rj. died 1^16. Rt. Rev. I. B. I-'itzpatrick. Arrived 
in 1340. Now at the Church of the Holv Cross. Franklin street. 



118 



CHARDON STUEET CHAPEI,. 




CHARDON STRKET CHAPEL, OF THE 

ADVENTISTS. 
Chardon Street, Erected IS3S. 

This Church was gathered February 14, 1836. At its formation it con- 
sisted of 16 members. Tliey commenced public worship at Lyceum Hall, 
in Hanover street, and removed from that place to Chardon Street Chapel, 
which was built by said Church and Society, and dedicated Nov. 6, 1838. 

This Church was gathered by the labors of Rev. Joshua V. Himes (for- 
merly Pastor of the First Christian Church, corner of Summer and Sea 
streets). In the spring of 1843, the Church divided on the question of 
the Second Advent. A portion of them removed to the Melodeon, and 
soon ceased to be. The remaining portion, with Mr. Hintes, removed to 
the Advent Tabernacle, in Howard street, and from thence to Central 
Hall, in Milk street. In July, 1848, the Church of Mr. Himes returned 
lo the Chardon Street Chapel, where they have since remained. He be- 
ing their pastor at this period, the Church is known as the Chardon Street 
Church of Second Adventists. 

The building is of wood, and plain in its exterior appearance, but neat 
and convenient in the interior. It will seat comfortably 500 persons. 



Fouiini MLTuoDisr CH j;;cH. 



irj 




FOURTH METHODIST KPISCOFAL CHLRCH, 
NORTH RUSSELL. STREET. 

This Church was constituted A. D. 1837, with GO members, under tht- 
pastoral care of Rev. M. L. Scudder. Their first meetings were held ir 
the Wells School-House, in Blossom street. The Chapel was dedicated 
A. D. 183S. It is erected on a plan designed for further improvement, as 
we learn the edifice will be elevated, and that the buildings in front will 
be removed, to make a more spacious court. 

The ministers of the Methodist Episcopal Church are stationed an- 
nually, and according to the present usage are not appointed to the same 
station more than two years successively. 

The whole number of members in June, 1842, was 430, of whom 127 
were males, and 303 females. 

MINISTERS. 

Moses L. Scudder, from l'^37 to 1339. Jefferson Hascall, from 
1839 to lail. Charles K. True, from 1811 to 1843. George Landen, 
from 1843 to 1815. William H. Hatch, from 1845 to 1S47. William 
Rice, from 1817 to 1S19. Mark Trafton, from 1849 to 1851. E. Col- 
BEiOH, present Minister, stationed ISol. 



120 



THIRTEENTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 




THIRTEEXTH CONGREGATIONAL, CHURCH. 

This Society was formed in the year 1S2-5. The place of worship was lo- 
cated at the corner of Purchase and Pearl streets. The Rev. George Ripley 
was ordained as Pastor in 1826. and after the lapse of almost fifteen years, 
his connection was dissolved, for reasons which affected, not the least, the 
relations of friendship and mutual respect between the parties. The Rev. 



KOWE STREET BAl'TIST CHURCH. 121 

James I. T. Coolidge, the present incumbent, was ordained in 1S12. So 
great liad been the changes in that section of the city, by the influx of 
business and foreigners, that tlie society was forced to remove to another 
section of the city ; and on the 3d of May, I&47, the corner-stone of their 
present beautiful building was laid at the corner of Harrison Avenue and 
Beach Street. On the 3d of I\Iay, 1S4S, the new Cliurch was completed 
and dedicated. The Society was incorporated under the title of the Pur- 
chase Street Congregational Society, but by reason of removal, it was 
obliged to change its name, and it is now known as the Thirteenth Congre- 
gational Church and Society. 

The size of the body of this house of worship is G2 by 92 feet, exclusive 
of the buttresses, tower, and chancel. The chancel projects 6 feet and the 
tower 7 feet ; making the entire length 107 feet. The side buttresses pro- 
ject 1 foot 8 inches, making the entire width G35 feet. The height of the 
front gable is 66 feet from the sidewalk, and the height of the side walls 32 
feet, above which rises the clear story wall to the height of 47 feet from the 
sidewalk on Beach street. The tower, which is at the corner of the build- 
ing, rises to the height of 93 feet to the base of the spire, and is supported 
by massive buttresses at the angles, which terminate with minarets and 
finials at the height of 85^ feet, and 7J feet below the base of the spire, 
where the tower finishes with gables on four sides. 



ROWE STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. 

This Society formerly worshipped in the Federal Street Baptist Church, 
the corner-stone of which was laid September 25, 1826, and the building 
dedicated July 18, 1827. At that period the Society consisted of sixty-five 
members. 

In consequence of the many changes in Federal Street, and its gradual 
transformation into a mere business street, the Society determined in the 
year 1844, to dispose of the property and remove to a more central posi- 
tion. The building was occupied fur the last time on the 23d of February, 
1S4.'5, soon after which it wa^ demolished. 

The corner-stone of the present edifice, in Rovve street, was laid the 27lh 
of April, 1S46, and the building was dedicated on the 7th of April follow- 
ing. In the mean while, the Society held their public meetings in Amory 
Hall and the Melodeon. The present Church is in the pointed Gothic 
style of architecture; built of dark red sandstone, having a tower at the 
corner, surmounted by aspire rising to the height of 175 feet alwve the 
sidewalk. The interior of tlie building is finished with black walnut, and 
contains 15S pews. The organ was made by I\Ir. Appleton, of Bo.ston, and 
is placed in the front angle corresponding with the towers. 



122 



KOWE STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. 




1 



ROWE STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. 

By an act of the Legislature, the name of this Society was subsequently 
changed to the 'Rowe Street Baptist Society." The present number of 
members is about 450. 

PASTOKS. 

Rev. Howard Malcom, from Nov. 13, IS'27, to Sept., 153-5. Rev. 
George R. Ide, from Dec. 30. 1S35, to Dec, 1S37. Rev. Haxdel G. Nott, 
from 3Iay 23, 1S39, to -May. I^^O. Rev. Wiluam HAcrE, from Sept.. IS40, 
till 1S4?. Rev. Bakox Stot^-, D. D.. the present Pastor, iustalleii 154-5. 



mi' 



BOWDOIN SQ,UARE BAPTIST CHURCH. 



]23 




m 



BOWDOIN SQ,UARE BAPTIST CHURCH. 

Opposite the Revere House. 

This edifice stands on the north side of Bovvdoin square, beautifully 
opening to the view from all the streets which radiate from the square. 
The corner-stone was laid April 1, 1840, and the building dedicated No- 
vember 5, 1840. It is one of the most agreeable locations in Boston. It 
is 93 feet in length, inclusive of the tower, by 73J feet wide. Its front, 
with its tower and its six turrets, is of granite. The tower projects 10 
feet from the main building; is 2S feet stjuarc, and 110 feet high. The 
cost of the building, including furniture and organ, was upwards of seven- 
ty-thousand dollars. 

The Church was constituted Sept. 17, 1840, with 137 members. Pres- 
ent number, 337. 

PASTORS. 

Rev. R. W. CusHMAN, installed July 8, 1841, left July, 1847. 

Rev. Pharcellus Church. D. D., installed Sept., 18H, present paiitor. 



124 



WARREN STREET CHAPEL. 




WARREN STREET CHAPEIi. 

This Institution, established A. D. 1835-36, through the hberality of 
several private individuals, belonging to the Congregational Unitarian de- 
nomination, and placed under the charge of Rev. C. F. Barnard, is de- 
voted to the general objects of the Ministry at Large, particularly in their 
relation to the young. It contains various free schools for instruction in 
Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and Sewing, intended for those who cannot 
obtain such advantages elsewhere, and open at such hours as their conve- 
nience requires. There are two valuable libraries for readers of different 
ages. Two or more large classes are taught the elements and practice n: 
vocal music. A Sunday School occupies the morning and afternoon o! 
the Lord's Day, followed by religious exercises generally adapted to the 
wants and capacity of the young. Occasional meetings of a social or in- 
structive character are added, with an annual visit to tlie country, and other 
means of rational enjoyment. Tliere are connected with the l^uilding a 
garden and a cabinet of Natural History. The current expenses of the 
institution are defrayed in part by annual subscriptions or donations, and 
in part through the proceeds of a course of Lyceum Lectures, by occasional 
concerts, and by sales of flowers upon the Common on the Fourth of July. 



TUCKERMAN CHAPEL. 



12.-) 




---_=--.^i:^^^;^!?'5!^:^G¥>irjinuramnuiiui!innnuiiiim 



:iiii!iiii!iiiMiiiiiiiiuiiiiiui:iiiiiu''' 
TUCKERMAN CHAPEIi, PITTS STREET. 

The corner-stone of this building was laid July 7, 1836. It was dedicat- 
ed by the Congregational Unitarian denomination the following Novem- 
ber. It is a neat brick building, 76 feet by 44, two stories in height. 

Dr. Tuckerman entered upon his duties as Minister at Large, Nov. 5, 
1826. His purpose was to visit among the poor, and to be to such as 
were not visited by any other clergymen, a Christian Pastor and Friend. 
In Feb., 1827, he had 50 families under his charge ; in six months, 90 fam- 
ilies, at the close of the year, 170 families, and in six months more, 250 
families. 

Rev. F. T. Gray became a colleague with Pr. Tuckerman in 1S34, and 
continued in this ministry until 1839, when the Rev. R. C. Waterstou was 
ordained to take charge of the labor. 

PASTORS . 

Rev. Dr. Tuckerman, installed \>-2G, died April 20, 1840. 

Rev. Frederick T. Gray, ordained Nov. 1634, left 1339. 

Rev. R, C. Waterston, ordained Nov., 1839, left in the spring of 1845. 

Rev. Andrew Bigelow, in.stalled May, 1815, left Sept., 1846. 

Rev. Samuel H. Winkley, insl. Sept., 18-16, pre.sent pastor, July, 1851. 



126 



SUFFOLK STREET CHAPEL. 




SUPF03L.IC STREET CHAPEIi. 

This Chapel constitutes one of the branches of the Ministry at, Large, 
and was built by the " Fraternity of Churches " in 1839. On the 23d of 
May, in that year, the corner-stone was laid with appropriate services, and 
the dedication took place on the 5th of February, 1840.^ 

This edifice is situated at the extreme south part of the city, opposite 
the Southern Cemetery, and is the largest of the Chapels- connected with 
the Ministry at Large. The cost of the building was about $ 15,000, ex- 
clusive of the land, which was given by the city according to a grant in 
1806, to the first religious association that should promise to build a Church 
thereon. The congregation gathered here met originally in a small school- 
room in Northampton street, from which they were transferred to Suffolk 
street. The architectural style of this Chapel is somewhat imposing and 
peculiar. It is built of rough stone with rustic finishings of granite, and 
has a massive granite porch in front, supported by five piers of the same 
material. 

PASTORS. 
Rev. John T. Sargent, ordained Oct. 29, 1837, left Dec, 1844. 
Rev. Samuel B. Crupt, ordained Jan., 1846, present pastor, 1851. 



LYNDB STREET CHURCH. 



127 




WEST CHURCH, L.YXDE STREET. 

The West Church was gathered January 3, 1737, hi Lynde street, then 
termed Xew Boston, and then the only Church in that division of the 
town. The first was a well-proportioned wooden building, begun Septem- 
ber 26, 1736, and finished in April, 1737, when it was furnished with a hand- 
some steeple. It was situated coinmodiously to give signals to the Conti- 
nental troops at Cambridge, on the opposite shore. The British officers 
suspected it had been used for this purpose, and the steeple was taken 
down by them in 1775. 

The corner-stone of the present edifice was laid April 4, 1S06, and the 
Church was dedicated November 27 of the same year. It is 75 by 74 feet, 
and contains 114 pews on the lower floor, and 50 in the gallery. It is situ- 
ated in Lynde street, corner of Cami)ridge street. The number of fami- 
lies in the parish is about 320. The Church is Congregational. 



128 FIRST METHODIST CHURCH, HANOVER STREET. 

Dr. Mayhew, the second minister of the West Church, one of the ablest 
men our country has produced, was ordained June 17, 1747, and died July 
9, 1766, aged 46 years. Just before his death, on his departure to attend 
an ecclesiastical council at Rutland, he wrote a letter to James Otis, Esq.. 
suggesting the plan of a correspondence or " communion" among the col- 
onies, which was afterwards adopted, and conduced much to the happy 
result of their struggle for freedom. 

In 1805, there were nine Congregational Churches in Boston, the West 
Church being ranked the ninth, though it was in fact the eighth, as the 
church in Federal street did not join the Congregational communion till 
1787. These churches were in fellowship, and their ministers exchanged 
with one another, and assisted each other in ministerial labors as occasion 
reiiuired. This fellowship was maintained between this Church and the 
eight other Churches till 1S21. 

The sfpiare in front of the Church, on Cambridge street, has been this 
year ornamented with a substantial iron railing, 369^ feet in length. The 
co.st of this railing and the fountain was about $5,000. Dr. Lowell, the 
present minister, is the oldest minister in Boston, 

PASTORS. 

William Hooper, from Scotland, ordained May, 1737, resigned 1746. 
Jonathan Mayhew, D. D., from Martha's Vineyard, ordained June 17, 

1747, died July 9, 1766, aged 46. 
Simeon Howard, D. D., from Bridgewater, (West Parish,) ordained May 

6, 1767, died August 13, 1804, aged 71. 
Charles Lowell, D. D., Boston, ordained January I, 1806. 
Cyrus Augustus Bartol, of Freeport, Me., ordained March 1, 1837. 



FIRST METHODIST CHURCH, HANOVER 

STREET. 

That branch of the Methodist Episcopal Church worshipping in this 
edifice was originally gathered in 1792, under the labors of the Rev. Jo- 
seph Lee, whose first sermons in the city were preached on the Common. 
Their first house of worship was erected in Hanover street, in 1796, when 
about 60 members belonged to it. They removed to a new edifice in North 
Bennet street, (see page 84,) in the year 1828, which house was sold to the 
Freewill Baptist Society in the year 1850. 

In the year 1850, this Society purchased the elegant building erected for 
the Second Unitarian Society, (under Rev. Chandler Robbins,) of which 
the following is a correct representation. 



FIRST METHODIST CHURCH. 



129 




PASTORS. 

Ephraim Wiley, 1823-29. J. Bonney, 1830, A. D. Merrill, 1331. 
J. Lindsay, 1832-33. D. Fillmore, ia'^1-35. Abel Stevens, 1836. 
A. D. Sargent, 1837. J. C. Pierce, lS.33-39. J. Porter, 1840-41. 
Mark Trafton, 18-12-43. J. D. Bridge, 1845. IMiner Raymond, 
1846. William H. Hatch, 1847-48. S. Hale Higgins, and Mosely 
DwiGHT, 1S49. Joseph Cummings. 1S50-51. 



2,483 feet long 


275 


(< 


87i 


(( 


3,S44 


(( 



130 BOSTON BRIDGES AND FERRIES. 

BOSTON BRIDGES AND FERRIES* 

I. WEST BOSTON BRIDGE. 
This was the second bridge built over Charles River. It is a convey- 
ance from the west end of Cambridge street to the opposite shore in Cam- 
bridge-Port. A number of gentlemen were incorporated for the purpose of 
erecting this bridge, March 9, 1792. The causeway was begun July 15, 

1792, and suspended after the 26th of December, till the 20lh of March, 

1793, when the work was resumed. The wood work of the bridge was be- 
gun the 8th of April, 1793, and the bridge and causeway opened for pas- 
sengers the 23d of November following, being seven months and a half from 
laying the first pier. The sides of the causeway are stoned and railed ; on 
each side Of which was formerly a canal about 30 feet wide. 

The bridge stand, on 180 piera, ia .... 

Bridge over the gore, 14 " .... 

Abutment, Boston side, 

Causeway, 

Distance from end of the causeway to Cambridge Meet- 
ing-house, 7,810 " 

Width of the bridge, 40 " 

Railed on each side for foot passengers. 

To the Proprietors a toll was granted for 70 years from the opening of the 
bridge, which together with the causeway, was estimated to have cost 
£ 23,000 lawful money. The principal undertaker for building the bridge 
was Mr. Whiting. 

II. BOSTON SOUTH BRIDGE. 
The building of this bridge grew out of the project for annexing Dor- 
chester Neck, so called, to Boston, as a part of the city. In the latter end 
of 1803, there were but 10 families on that peninsula, which comprised an 
extent of 569 acres of land. These families united with several citizens of 
Boston in a petition to tiie town for the privilege of being annexed thereto, 
<' upon the single condition that the inhabitants [of B.] will procure a 
bridge to be erected between Boston and Dorchester Neck." On the 31st of 
Jarmary, 1804, after several confused meetings on the subject, the town 
agreed to the proposition, on condition " that the place from which and 
tlie terms on which the bridge should be built, shall be left entirely to the 
Legislature. Application was made to the General Court, and measures 
were in train for authorizing a bridge from South street to the point. The 
inhabitants of the south end of the town, having opposed this measure in 
vain thus far in its progress, formed a plan at this juncture, in which they 
proposed to erect a bridge where the present bridge stands, and to obviate 
the objection that such a bridge would not lessen the distance from the 



BOSTON BRIDGES AND FEKRIES. 131 

(wint SO much as the South Street Bridge would, they ofTered to construct a 
commodious street across the flats from Rainsford's Lane to the head of 
the proposed bridge. They presented a i:)eiition to the Court to be incor- 
porated for these purposes, upon the presumption that no liberty would be 
granted for the erection of any other bridge, to the northward of their 
bridge, unless at some future period the increased settlement of this part of 
the country should be such, that the public exigencies should require the 
same. Tliis plan and petition met with so favorable a reception, that the 
Dorchester Point proprietors were induced to make a compromise with the 
South end petitioners, in which it was agreed, that the South Street Bridge 
should be abandoned, and that tlie South end Bridge shoulil be transferred 
to the Dorchester company, and the j)roposed street be carried forward by 
the petitioners. A joint committee made a rc|x)rt on the basis of this com- 
promise, which was accepted in concurrence Feburary 23d ; and on the 6th 
of March, bills were passed for the three objects, the annexation of Dor- 
chester Neck to Boston, the incorporation of the Proprietors of Boston 
South Bridge, and also of the Front Street Coriwration in the town of 
Boston. 

Messrs. William Tudor, Gardiner Green, Jonathan Mason, and Harrison 
Gray Otis, were the proprietors named in Boston South Bridge Act. Sev- 
enty years' improvement was allowed from the date of the first opening of 
said bridge for passengers, which took place in the summer of 1S05. 
On the first of October, it was the scene of a military display and sham 
fight. This bridge is 1,551 feet in length, and cost the proprietors about 
S 56,000. In 1832, the proprietors sold the bridge to the city for S 3,500 ; 
since which it has been put in thorough repair by the city, at an expense 
of S 3,500, in addition to the amount i^aid by the Corporation, and has 
been made a free highway. 

III. CANAL (OR CRAIGIE'S) BRIDGE. 
This bridge runs from Barton's Point in Boston to Lechmere's Point in 
Cambridge. Its length is 2,796 feet ; its width 40 feet. The persons 
named in the Act incorporating this bridge, were John C. Jones, Loammi 
Baldwin, Aaron Dexter, Benjamin Weld, Joseph Coolidge, Jr., Benjamin 
Joy, Gorham Parsoiis, Jonathan Ingersoll, John Beach, Abijah Cheever, 
William B. Hutchins, Stephen Howard, and Andrew Craigie. This bridge 
ditfers from those previously built, in being covered with a layer of gravel 
on the floor of the bridge. It was first opened for passengers on Com- 
mencement day, August 30, 1809. The bridge on the Cambridge side is 
united to Charlestown by Prison Point Bridge, which is 1,821 feet long, 
and 35 feet broad, having but one side railed for foot passengers. The Bos- 
ton and l/owell Railroad runs parallel with, and about 100 feet north of 
Craigie's Bridge. 



132 BOSTON BRIDGES AND FERRIES. 

IV. WESTERN AVENUE. 

This splendid work was projected by Mr. Uriah Cottir.g, who with oth- 
ers associated, received an act of incorporation, June 14, 1814, under the 
title of " The Boston and Roxbury Mill Corporation " ; the stock of which 
is divided into 3,500 shares of $ 100 each. It was commenced in 1818, 
under Mr. Cotting's direction, but he did not live to witness its comple- 
tion. His place was supplied by Col. Loammi Baldwin, and the road was 
opened for passengers, July 2, 1821. There was a splendid ceremony on 
the occasion ; a cavalcade of citizens at an early hour entered the city 
over the dam, and was welcomed on this side by the inhabitants, who 
waited to receive them. This Avenue, or Mill-Dam, leads from Beacon 
street in Boston, to Sewall's Point in Brookline, and is composed of solid 
materials water-tight, with a gravelled surface, raised three or four feet 
above high-water-mark. It is one mile and a half in length, and a part of 
the way 100 feet in width. This dam cuts off and incloses about 601 acres 
of the southerly part of the Back or Charles River Bay, over which the 
tide before regularly flowed. The water that is now admitted is rendered 
subservient and manageable. Very extensive mill-privileges are gained by 
the aid of a cross dam, running from the principal one to a point of land 
in Roxbury, which divides the Reservoir or full basin on the west from 
the empty or running basin on the east. There are five pair of flood- 
gates in the long dam, grooved in massy piers of hewn stone ; each pair 
moves from their opposite pivots towards the centre of the aperture on 
a horizontal platform of stone, until they close in an obtuse angle on a 
projected line cut on the platform, from the pivots in the piers to the 
centre of the space, with their angular points towards the open or unin- 
closed part of the bay, to shut against the flow of tide and prevent the 
passage of water into the empty basin. In this manner all the water is 
kept out from this basin, except what is necessary to pass from the full 
basin, through the cross dam, to keep the mill-works in operation. The 
reservoir is kept full by means of similar flood-gates, opening into the full 
basin (when the rising of the tide gets ascendancy over the water in the 
reservoir), and fills at every flow, and closes again on the receding of the 
tide. In this way, at every high tide, the reservoir is filled, and a contin- 
ual supply of water, to pass through sluice-ways in the cross dam suffi- 
cient to keep in motion, at all times, at least 100 mills and factories. At 
low water the flood-gates of the receiving basin open and discharge the 
water received from the reservoir. 

From this avenue there are excellent roads leading to Roxbury, Brook- 
line, Brighton, and Watertown, which are very extensively travelled. Be- 
sides the income from the mill-privileges, the corporation receives a toll, 
which is granted by the act of incorporation to be perpetual. 



BOSTON BRIDGES AND FERRIES. 



V. BOSTON FREE BRIDGE. 

Within two years after the erection of the Boston South Bridge, an 
attempt was made for another to run from Sea street to South Boston. 
Many other attempts have been made since thai time, to establish a bridae 
at this place, but they were strongly opposed till the passage of an Act 
March 4, 1S26, authorizing the erection of the present bridge. The com- 
mittee of the Legislature, to whom was referred the subject, gave this reason 
for reporting in favor of the bill : " that if the public good or public inter- 
est required that the proposed bridge should be constnicted, then the 
prayer of the petition should be granted; that indemnification should be 
made for property taken for the use of the bridge, but to no greater extent ; 
that the navigable waters being public property, the Legislature had the 
right to control the use of them. The couunittee therefore considered the 
only question arising was, whether the public exigency required this 
bridge. It appeared that about 100,000 people, if this bridge were erected, 
would be saved a travel of one mile by coming from the south shore over 
this bridge, instead of over the Neck; that an increasing intercourse 
would take place between the centre of business in the city and South Bos- 
ton, and the distance be lessened half a mile, which in a dense pojiula- 
lation was equal to ten or twenty miles in the country. The only objec- 
tions to this bridge arose from persons in Roxbury, at the south end of Bos- 
ton, and from a part of the proprietors of the present bridge; that it did 
not appear that any others would be injured, and that these persons would 
not be injured to the extent they imagined. It was admitted that the nav- 
igation might be made a little inconvenient, but not so much so as was ex- 
pected. It appeared that the present channel might, by individual right, 
be narrowed to three hundred feet, which would increase the current more 
than the proposed bridge ; that the present current was about one mile tin- 
hour, while that at Charlestown Bridge was three miles; that the increa.se 
to the price of wood, if the bridge were erected, would be only six cents tin; 
cord ; and that with one or two exceptions all the bridges in the Siaie had 
been granted without any indemnity for consequential damages, other thai; 
compensation for property converted to the use of such bridges. The com- 
mittee came to the conclusion, that no person ought to claim damages for 
an interruption of navigable waters; that these waters were held by the 
Legislature in trust for all the citizens, and that no individual hati the ri?hi 
to be secured indemnity for damages arising therefrom, when the public 
accommodation required such interruption." 

This bridge was completed in 1828, by a company of gentlemen who 
were proprietors of lands at South Boston, and by residents of that sec- 
tion, and who transferred it to the city in October. 



131 BOSTON BRIDGES AND FERRIES. 

Vr. WARREN BRIDGE. 

The subject of erecting a free bridge to lead from Boston to Charlestown 
was agitated ia 1822. Subscriptions were raised, and a petition presented 
to the Legislature for an act of incorporation, which was opposed with great 
skill and perseverance by the friends and proprietors of Cliarles River 
Bridge. The subject before the Legislature was deferred from one session 
to another, till the winter of 1827, when a bill for a free bridge pas.sed Ijolh 
houses, and only wanted the Governor's signature to become a law. The 
Governor returned the bill, with a message, giving his reasons for not sign- 
ing it. The petition was again renewed, but so varied as to make a toll 
bridge. Great principles were involved in this subject, which the repre- 
sentatives of the people calmly and deliberately considered before they de- 
cided. The final bill was passed in the House of Representatives, February 
29; yeas 152, nays 1.34. In the Senate, March 9; yeas 19, nays 17, and 
the Governor approved the act March 12, 1823. The distinction which 
was said to have been made by the Governor, between this bill and the one 
to which he refused his sanction the year previous was, that the Legisla- 
ture had, in the passage of the present act, virtually decided that the pub- 
lic convenience and necessity, aside from consideration of tolls, required 
another avenue over Charles River, which was not the case with the pre- 
vious bill. 

The erection of this bridge was commenced on the 11th of June follow- 
ing, and while in progress, the proprietors of Charles River Bridge made 
an application to the Supreme Judicial Court on the 28th of June, by a bill 
in E(|uity, for an injunction against further proceedings in the erection of 
Warren Bridge. The court decided that the time for hearing should be ex- 
tended to the 5th of August, and a special session was held at that time, 
acting as a Court of Chancery, when Messrs. Shaw, Gorham, and Webster, 
appeared as a counsel for the applicants, and Messrs. Fletcher and Aylwin, 
for the respondents. After hearing the parlies by their counsel, on the 
12th of August the court refused to grant the injunction ; but at the same 
time informed the defendants that they proceeded at their peril; if the 
court should afterwards, in deciding on the merits, pronounce the act void, 
they would loose all they laid out. In October, 1829, the case was heard on 
the merits, and went in favor of the Warren Bridge proprietors. The 
court being two and two, the Chief Justice (Parker) said, " as no decree 
for relief can be passed, there will be a decree against the plaintiffs, in or- 
der that they may avail themselves of the right secured by the Constitu- 
tion and laws, of a revision by the Supreme Court of the United States, 
where it is highly proper that this question, depending, as I think it does, 
mainly on the Constitution of the United States, should be ultimately de- 
cided." Accordingly, the case was carried to the Supreme Court of the 
United States, and was argued at the next term, February, 1830, the last 



BOSTON BRIDGES AND FERRIES. 135 

week of the term ; the court intending to give their opinion at their next 
meeting ; but in consequence of sickness and death from time to time, the 
six judges who heard the cause argued, never assembled together again. 
At the January term of the court, 1^37. the cause was again argued tefore 
a full bench, by Messrs. Dullon and Webster, for Charles River Bridge, 
and by Messrs. Greenleaf and Davis for the Warren Bridge, and decided 
in favor of the latter. 

This bridge was so far finished by the 25th of September, 1828, as to ad- 
mit of persons walking over it, and was opened as a public highway on 
the 2.")th of December following. It is a more complete and elegant struc- 
ture than any other bridge in Boston. It is placed on 75 piers, about 18 
feet from each other, and measures 1,390 feet long ; is 44 feet wide, allow- 
ing 30 feet for the carriage-way, and seven feel on each side, which is 
railed, for foot passengers. The floor of the bridge consists of hewn tim- 
ber, one fool thick, on which is spread four inches of clay, then a layer of 
gravel six inches, over the whole surface, and finished by Macadamizing 
eight inches thick ; making the whole thickness of the bridge 30 inches. 
This bridge is placed lower than any of the other bridges, thai the timbers 
might be occasionally wet by the highest tides, which it is supposed will 
tend to their preservation. 

The proprietors were granted a toll, the same as the Charles River 
Bridge, until reimbursed the money expended, with five per cent, interest 
thereon, provided that period did not extend beyond the term of six years 
from the first opening of the bridge; at which time (or sooner if the re- 
imbursement by the receipt of tolls should permit) the bridge was to re- 
vert to the State in good repair. By the act of incorporation the ))roprie- 
tors were required to pay one half the sum allowed Harvard College, 
annually, from the proprietors of Charles River Bridge. This bridge wa.s 
declared free March 2, 1S36, with a surplus fund on hand, accruing from 
tolls, of S 37,437, after paying all expenses of erecting the bridge, and 
keeping the same in repair ; since which, the interest of the fund has kept 
the bridge in repair and paid expenses. 

Til. WINNISIMMET FERRY. 

This ferry, which has become an important avenue to the city, is be- 
tween the northerly end of Hanover street and Chelsea, and is one mile and 
three eigluhs in length. It is the oldest ferry in New England, and is be- 
lieved to be the earliest established in the United States. Its name is de- 
rived from the Indian name of Chelsea. 

There are five steam ferry-boats, for the transportation of passengers, 
horses and carriages. Some one of tliese leaves each side every ten or fif- 
teen minutes from sunrise to 11 o'clock at night. 



136 BOSTON HARBOR. 



VIII. EAST BOSTON FERRY 

Is a short ferry between North and East Boston, established by a li- 
cense from the City Government in 183.5, and is owned by an incorporated 
company. There are three large steamboats, two of which are constantly 
plying from daylight until 12 at night, everyday in the year. Tolls: — 
For foot passengers, 2 cents each way ; yearly ticket for a family consist- 
ing of two persons, $ 8. 



BOSTON HARBOR. 

The Harbor extends from Nantasket to the city, and spreads from Chel- 
sea and Nahant to Hingham, containing about 75 square miles. It is be- 
spangled with upwards of 50 islands or rocks, and receives the waters 
from the Mystic, Charles, Neponset, and Manatticut Rivers, with several 
other smaller streams. The most noted islands are Governor's Island and 
Castle Island, both of which are fortified: the former is now called Fort 
Warren, the latter Fort Independence. They lie about two and a half miles 
easterly from the city, dividing the inner from the outer harbor, about one 
mile distant from each other, and the only channel for large ships passes 
between them. Belle Isle and East Boston lie to the northeast of the 
city on the Chelsea coast, which, together with most of the islands in the 
harbor, come within the jurisdiction of the city. Deer Island, about five 
mile east, and Long Island, about five and a half east by south, command 
the outer harbor. Thompson and Spectacle Islands lie southeasterly to- 
wards Squantum, and within the parallel of Long Island. Rainsford, or 
Hospital Island, is about one mile southeasterly from Long Island. Gallop, 
George, and Lovel's Islands, lie east by south, from seven to eight miles 
from Boston, and between Broad Sound and Nantasket Road. Pethick's 
Island lies south of Nantasket Road, or Hingham Bay. The Lighthouse 
Island, on which the Lighthouse stands, lies south 69 deg. east, SJ miles. 
The Brewsters, Calf Island, Green Island, &c., lie northerly from the Light- 
house, forming a chain of islands, rocks, and ledges about three miles, to 
the Graves Rocks, between which no ships attempt to pass. The water in 
this harbor is of a sufficient depth to admit 500 ships of the largest class 
to ride at anchor in safety ; while the entrance is so narrow as scarcely to 
admit two ships abreast. Boston is finely situated for commerce, and has 
more shipping than any other city in the United States, except New York. 
The wharves and piers are extensive, — provided with spacious stores and 
warehouses, with every convenience for the safe mooring and securing of 
vessels. 

The city exhibits a very picturesque and beautiful view when approached 
from the sea, and its jreneral appeirance is much admired by strangers. 



FANEUIL HALL. 137 



FAXEUIL. HALL.. 

The history of Faneuil Hall, which has been very properly styled the 
"Craiile of American Liberty," is intimately connected with that of our 
country. The original building, commenced in 1740, was the noble gift of 
Peter Faneuil, Esq., to the town of Boston, for a town hall and market 
plice. The inside woodwork and roof of this buiUling were destroyed by 
fire on the I3th of January, 1761. It was again repaired in 1763, with 
.some slight alteration in the work, but the size of the building remained 
the same, two stories high and 100 feet by 40. The enlargement, by which 
't was extended in width lo 80 feel, and a third story added, was- proposed 
by the selectmen in May, 1305, and completed in the course of the year. 
The building has a cupola, from which there is a fine view of the harbor. 
The great hall is 76 feet square, and 28 feet high, with galleries of three 
sides u|X)n Doric columns; the celling is supported by two ranges of Ionic 
columns; the walls enriched with pilasters and the windows with archi- 
traves, &,c. Platforms under and in the galleries rise amphitheatrically 
lo accommodate spectators, and from trials already made on various occa- 
sions of public interest, it appears favorable for sight and sound. 

The west end i.s decorated by an original full length painting of Wash- 
ington, by Stuart, presented by Samuel Parkman, Esq., and another paint- 
ing of the same size, by Col. Henry Sargent, representing Peter Faneuil, 
Es(i., in full length, copied from an original of smaller size. 

Above the great hall is another 73 feet long and 30 wide, devoted to the 
exercise of the dilferent military corps of the city, with a number of 
apuriments on each side for depositing the arms and military equipments, 
where those of the several Independent Companies are arranged and kept 
in perfect order. The building also contains convenient offices for the 
Overseers of the Poor, Assessors, &c. 

During the summer of 1S27, the city government thoroughly repaired 
the building and divided the lower story, which had formerly been used 
for a market, into eight elegant and convenient stores, which give to the 
city upwards of $ 4,600 per annum. The building was at the same time 
painted a light Portland stone color. 

In the annals of the American Continent, there is no one place, more 
distinguished for powerful elof[uence, than Faneuil Hall. That flame 
which roused a depressed jjcople from want and degradation, arose from 
the altar of Liberty in Faneuil Hall. The language which made a mon- 
arch tremble upon his throne for the safety of his colonies, and which in- 
spired New England with confidence in a cause, both arduous and bold, 
unprepared and unassisted, against a royal bulwark of hereditary authori- 
ty, had its origin in Faneuil Hall. Those maxims of political truth which 
have extended an influence over the habitable globe, and have given rise 
to new republics where despotism once held a court, glutted with the 



138 FANEUJL HALL MARKET. 



blood that would be free, were first promulgated in Faneuil Hall. Tyran- 
ny, with all its concomitant evils, was first exposed, and the great ma- 
chine of human wisdom, which was to emancipate man from the rapacious 
jaws of the British lion, was put in active operation in Faneuil Hall. 
The story of our country's future greatness, her power, her learning, her 
magnitude, her final independence, was told prophetically in the same im- 
mortal forum. 



FANEUILi HALIi MARKET. 

Faneuil Hall Market is situated at the east end of Faneuil Hall, between 
two streets called North and South Market Streets, having two streets 
passing at right angles at the east and west fronts, the one being 76 feet, 
and the other at the east end, 65 feet wide. North Market street is 65 feet 
wide, the South 102 feet, each street having a range of stores four stories 
high with granite fronts; the range of stores on the north side 520 feet, 
and 55 feet deep ; on the south 530 feet, and 65 feet deep ; (an arched ave- 
nue in centre of each range, five feet wide, communicating with the ad- 
joining streets;) the facade of which is composed of piers, lintel, and 
arched windows on the second story. The roofs are slated, and the cellars 
water- proof The height and form of the stores were regulated by the 
conditions of sale. The purchaser was required to erect, within a limited 
time, a brick store with hammered stone front, (granite piers) in strict 
conformity with a plan drawn by Mr. Alexander Parris. 

The first operation for locating and building this spacious and superb 
market house commenced on the 20th of August, 1824, by staking out the 
ground for the same, and for the North Market street ; the old buildings 
standing on the premises having been previously purchased by the city, 
but not removed. 

Shortly after the razing of these buildings, the filling up of the docks, 
and other work, necessary for clearing the wide area, and preparing for 
laying the corner-stone of the structure, were simultaneously entered upon, 
and carried through, to the raising of the splendid dome, without the in- 
tervention, we believe, of a single accident, or occurrence affecting hu- 
man life. 

The corner-stone of this building was laid with much ceremony. The 
plate deposited beneath it bears the names of the Mayor, Aldermen and 
Common Council, Building Committee and principal Architect, besides 
the following inscription: — "Faneuil Hall Market, established by the 
city of Boston, This stone was laid April 27, Anno Domini Mdcccxxv. 
In the forty-ninth year of American Independence, and in the third of the 
incorporation of the city. John Quincy Adams, President of the United 
States. Marcus Morton, Lt. Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the 



FANEOIL HALL MARKET. 139 



Commonweallli of Massachusetts. The population of the city estimated 
at 50,000; that of the United Stales 11,000,000." 

In length it is 5S5 feet 9 inches, in widtli 50 feet, wholly built of gran- 
ite, having a center building 74^ by 55 feet, projecting 2i feet in the north 
and south fronts. From the centre buildings are wings on each side, 173 
by 500 feet, the wing continues from a projection of 6 inches, 4G feet 3 
inches, and 51 feet in width, on each facade of which are 5 antaes, pro- 
jecting 6 inches, finishing with a portico at each end of the building, 
projecting 11 feet 7^ inches. The porticos consist of 4 columns, 3^ feet 
diameter at base, and 2 feet 10 inches at neck, each shaft in one piece, 20 
feet 9 inches long, with a capital of the Grecian Doric. The columns sup- 
port a pediment, the tympanum of which has a circular window for ven- 
tilation. The wings are of two stories, the lower one 14 feet, the upper 
14i feet, the lower windows have circular heads. The building is finished 
with a Grecian cornice 16 inches in depth, and 21 inches projection, 
worked in eranitc. The roof is slated, and gutters copper. The height of 
the wings from the sidewalk to the top of the cornice is 31 feet. 

The facade of the centre building, up to the under side of the second 
story windows, is composed of five recesses of piers and arches of grooved 
ashler, on the top of which are again formed recesses by antaes, support- 
ing a frieze and cornice, similar to the wing building; in each recess is a 
circular headed window, the centre a Venetian ; on the top of the cornice 
is a blocking course, and an octagon attic, 6 feet high, with two elliptical 
sawtells, surmounted by a dome covered with copper, and crowned by a 
lantern light. At each angle on lop of the centre building is a pedestal, 
in which are placed the necessary flues. 

The whole edifice is supported by a base of Quincy blue granite, 2 feet 
10 inches high, with arched windows and doors, communicating with the 
cellars. 

The building is approached by 6 steps of easy ascent; each wing has 6 
doors. The centre building in the north and south front, a pair of folding 
doors, enter a passage 10 feel wide, paved with brick, laid on ground arch- 
es; the wings have eJso a passage way of smaller dimensions to corres- 
pond. 

The principal entrances are from the east and wc.=!t porticos, which com- 
municate with the corridor, 512 feet long, 12 feet wide, with entablatures, 
finished with a cove ceiling. The interior is divided into 128 stalls, and 
occupied as follows, viz : 14 for mutton, lamb, veal and poultry ; 2 for 
poultry and venison; 19 for pork, lamb, butter and poultry; 45 for beef; 
4 for butter and cheese ; 19 for vegetables ; and 20 for fish. 

On the south front are four dtiorways opening to staircases, leading to 
the second story, in the centre of which is a hall, 70 by 50 feet, having a 
dome, springing from four .segmental arches, ornamented with panels and 
rosettes, inthe crown of which is an elliptical opening, 14 by 12 feet. 



140 GRAND JUNCTION RAILKOAD. 



THE GRAND JUNCTION RAILROAD. 

It is the design of this corporation to establish an extensive freight de- 
pot, at East Boston, adjoining the Eastern Railroad and British Steam- 
ship Depots, on the deepest and best sheltered part of Boston harbor, for 
the accommodation of, and forming a junction with, the several railroads 
terminating in Boston. The area of this depot is about thirty-five acres ; 
and, united with the Eastern, which it adjoins, makes one grand freight de- 
pot, for the shipping interest, of fifty acres ; extending from the Ferry 
wharf, southerly, on Marginal street, 2,150 feet, and westerly, 1,100 feet, 
to the Commissioners' Line, in the harbor- channel. It is more particular- 
ly designed, however, for the great Northern line of roads now built and 
in progress of construction through the principal manufacturing districts 
of this State, and thence through New Hampshire and Vermont into both 
Canadas, and reaching Northern New York at Ogdensburgh, on the St. 
Lawrence, at the mouth of the Oswegatchie, connecting Boston by the 
shortest and most expeditious route with the great "West. By the estab- 
lishment of this depot, the carrying trade of the Canadas will be secured 
to the United States, and more especially to Boston. 

Samcel S. Lewis, Esa., is the projector of this enterprise, and we are 
glad to observe that some of our most intelligent and energetic citizens are 
associated with him in carrying it out. 

The Railroad connecting the Depot lernds at East Boston with the East- 
ern, Boston and Maine, and Lowell and Fitchburg roads, is nearly graded, 
and will be completed and in operation in the summer of 1851. 

The charter of this company allows any other railroad corporation to 
establish depots on their premises, and authorizes such railroad corpora- 
tions as may establish depots there, to hold lands necessary therefor, in fee 
simple, or otherwise. Boston, from its favorable position, being nearer 
than New York to the Upper and Lower British Provinces, and also 
to Europe by sailing vessels, from four to seven days, and by steam, from 
one and a half to two days, is destined to become a great export city, 
when her railroads now in progress of construction shall have reached the 
Canadas, the Lakes, and the great West, affording facilities to bring to her 
port for shipment the vast products of the West, The road is now com- 
pleted to Ogdensburgh, and the advantages of Boston as a shipping port 
will be more fully developed, and will be found equal to any in the Union. 
It is also predicted that by our railroad connections, commencing at the de- 
pot of this Company, on the deepest water in the harbor, extending and 
communicating with both the Canadas by tlie shortest and most expedi- 
tious route, Boston will also become the port of entry for the Canadas, and 
that goods arriving Ijere in the steamships, after a passsage of twelve to 
thirteen days, may be delivered in Montreal and Upper Canada within 
fifteen days of their shipment in Liverpool, and chargeable with no other 



EAST BOSTON. Hi 



expenses tlian freight on sliipboard and railroad ; ilius placing the Canada 
importer, by the way of Boston, on an equal footing as to time (and with 
hut trifling additional expense) with the New York importer via Boston. 

" The objects of this Company, though somewhat various, are all and 
eminently designed to promote the trade and commerce of the city ; to fa- 
cilitate the operations of commerce with the interior trade of the country ; 
to aid in distributing the productions of other countries, and in the export 
trade of our own. By the use of our wharves and railroad, the cars for 
the interior are brought into immediate connection with vessels from every 
port, and the freight of the ship may be exchanged for that of the cars 
without any other agency than that afforded by the accommodations of this 
Company. A ship from England may unload her cargo of merchandise 
to go to Canada, on one train of cars, and receive her cargo of flour for the 
return voyage from the next. Or, by our warehouses, the same cargo of 
merchandise, or the same freight of flour, may be placed in store or bond 
until required, and it will be seen that whatever the commodity, wherever 
it came from, or where designed to be sent, the saving of expense in the 
facilities afforded by this Company would equal a large part of the cost of 
conveying it to the interior from the ship, or to the ship from the interior. 

" The geographical relations of the city of Boston, being almost, an 
island, are peculiar. Although the extent of the city proper, at the pres- 
ent time, is estimated to be nearly double its original size, its capacity is 
all improved; dwelling-houses are constantly giving room to stores; and 
the increasing business of the city ia still demanding further and larger 
accommodations. In fact, Boston has not only spread itself out, as it 
were, in all directions, but has actually extended its limits across two arms 
of the sea, and, once a city of three hills, is fast becoming a city of three 
cities ; and, at the same time, as if in this number was to be found the 
magic of the city's greatness, three other cities have grown up around her 
by the same impulse, — all indicative of the industry, activity, and enter- 
prise of the New England character." 

Officers. — Samuel S. Lewis, President; Dexter Brigham, Jr., Treas- 
urer; J. P. Robinson, Clerk; William L. Dearborn, Engineer. Direct- 
ors, — David Henshaw, Charles Paine, John W. Fenno, Ichabod Goodwin. 



East Boston. — This jiortion of the city was originally known as Nod- 
dle's Island. Wiiiiin the hut twenty years it has become an important 
pan of Boston, and now forms with the islands in the harbor the second 
ward, with a population of O.O'IO persons. The Cunard line of steamers 
have their wharf at East Boston. There are several ship-yards within the 
limits of this ward, also a large Sugar Refinery. The Eastern Railroad 
I commences at the wharf in Rist Bo.ston. 



142 BOSTON ASYLUM AND FARM SCHOOL. 

BOSTOX ASYLUM AND FARM SCHOOL, ON 
THOMPSON'S ISLAND. 

In the year 1813, several gentlemen formed a society for the relief and 
education of such boys as might be found destitute of parental and friendly 
superintendence. 

In February, 1814, an Act of Incorporation was granted them, and the 
society was organized, with the title of the Boston Asylum for Indigent 
Boys. For many years it was located at the comer of Salem and Charter 
streets, in the house formerly occupied by Governor Phips. 

On the 9th of June, 1835, the boys, 52 in number, were removed to 
Thompson's Island, which is within the limits of the city, and about four 
miles of the City Hall. 

A number of gentlemen in the city were very desirous that an institution 
should be estaJDlished here, to which children either already corrupted, or 
beyond parental control, might be sent without the intervention of a legal 
conviction and sentence ; and in which such employments might be pur- 
sued by the children, as would make the institution, in the strictest sense, 
a school of industry. A plan for this object was submitted to a few gentle- 
men, by whom it was approved and matured ; and a meeting was held in 
the hall of the Tremont Bank on the 27th of January, 1832, when a board 
of directors were chosen. Subscription papers were opened, and $23,000 
were soon obtained. In the summer of 1833 following, Thompson's Island, 
containing 140 acres, was purchased for the objects of the institution ; and 
a building is now completed there, which, besides ample accommodations 
for the officers of the establishment, is quite sufficient for the charge of 
more than 300 children. A suggestion having been made of the expedi- 
ency of connecting the proposed Farm School with the Asylum for Indi- 
gent Boys, conferences were held between the directors of these Institu- 
tions ; and in March, 1835, Ihey were united under the style of the Boston 
Asylum and Farm School. 

The objects of the present institution are to rescue from the ills and the 
temptations of poverty and neglect, those who have been left without a 
parent's care; to reclaim from moral exposure those who are treading the 
paths of danger; and to offer to those whose only training would other- 
wise have been in the walks of vice, if not of crime, the greatest blessing 
which New Englatid can bestow upon her most favored sons. On the 1st 
of January, 1837, there were 107 boys ; all of whom, as well as all other per- 
sons connected with the establishment on the island, were in good health. 
The occupations and employments of the boys vary with the season. In 
spring, summer, and autumn, the larger boys work upon the garden and 
farm. The younger boys have small gardens of their own, which af- 
ford them recreation when released from school. In the winter season 
most of them attend school, where they are instructed in the learning usu- 



ISLANDS IN BOSTON HARBOR. 143 

ally taught in our common schools, and some of them are employed in 
making and mending clothes and shoes for the institution. The winter 
evenings are occupied with the .study of geography and the use of globes ; 
botany, and practical agriculture ; lecturing on different subjects ; singing 
and reading. Every boy in the institution is required to be present during 
the evening exercises if he is able. As to the success of the boys in the 
farming operations. Captain Chandler, the superintendent, says, " they 
have succeeded far beyond my expectations', I think that they have done 
more work, and done it belter, than the boys of their age who have been 
regularly brought up to the business in the country, generally dp." And 
as to the comfort and contentedness of the Ixjys, he says, " they are all con> 
fortably clad with woollen clothes, shoes, stockings, and caps, and appear 
to be as happy in their present situation, as boys generally are under the 
paternal roof The boys are well supplied with books, and required to 
keep them in order, — their library containing about 400 volumes of well- 
selected books." 

Opportunities are occasionally offered to the friends of boys at the insti- 
tution, of visiting them on the island in the summer months. Twelve 
have teen indented, principally as farmers. The present number is 100. 

The annual subscription is $ 3; for life membership $25. This institu- 
tion bids fair to become one of the most useful in our city. 



ISL.AXDS IX BOSTON HARBOR. 

The islands in Boston harbor are delightful resorts for citizens and 
strangers during the hot summer weather. If there are natural beauties, 
romantic elevations, or silent and wild retreats, in the vicinity of Boston, 
worth the poet's and philosopher's attention, they are in the harbor; but 
to be admired they must be seen. These islands are gradually wearing 
away, and where large herds of cattle were pastured sixty years ago, the 
ocean now rolls its angry billows, and lashes with an overwhelming surge 
the last remains of earth. From the appearance which the islands present 
at this period, these were once round, or in otherwords, were nearly circu- 
lar at the base, and rose above the water like a dome; but the northern 
blasts, in connection with the terrible force of the tides accompanying 
such storms, have completely washed away every one of them upon the 
north side, in such a manner that they actually appear like half an island, 
— having had a vertical section, and hence there is a perjacndicular bank 
facing the north, while the south and west gradually slope to the edge. To 
the east, the tide has made some destruction, but it bears no proportion to 
the north. This peculiarity is observable in all the islands which have 
soil. Towards the outer lighthouse, the islands are almost barren ledges 
of rocks, — having been washed of the earth from time immemorial. It is 



144 ISLANDS IN BOSTON HARBOR. 

on the northeastern sides that the most danger is to be apprehended. 
Thompson's Island, lying between the Castle and Moon Head, is secured 
by natural barriers, as the former receives and resists the force of the tide 
before it reaches Thompson's ; but Long Island, although defended in a 
measure by Rainsford, Gallop, George's, and Lovel's Islands, has lost con- 
siderable soil. Spectacle Island, so called from its supposed resemblance 
to a pair of spectacles, is sifting away by slow degrees, and nothing will 
prevent it. 

GEORGE'S ISLAND. 
This island is the key to the harbor, — commanding the open sea, afford- 
ing one of the best places for fortifications of any among the number. 
There is an elevation on the east and northeast, nearly 50 feet above high- 
water-mark, in some places, with an easy ascent towards the south and 
southwest to the channel. This is the property of the United States. 
Fifty thousand dollars have been expended by Government for building a 
sea wall on the northeast. A trench was dug at the foot, below the low- 
water-mark, in which the foundation has been laid. This was made of split 
stone, of great weight, and bolted together with copper. We have never 
seen any masonry that would compare with it, in point of strength and 
workmanship. On this a second wall has been erected, equally formida- 
ble, on which the artillery is to be mounted. Under the superintendence 
of Captain Smith, whose good judgment has been exercised from the begin- 
ning, we may expect a fort in the outer harbor that will bid defiance to all 
the ships of war that ever sailed. 

CASTLE ISLAND, 

On which stands Fort Independence, was selected as the most suitable 
place for a fortress for the defence of the harbor, as early as 1633. It was 
built at first with mud walls, which soon fell to decay, and was afterwards 
rebuilt with pine trees and earth. In a short time, this also became use- 
less, and a small castle was built with brick walls, and had three rooms in 
it; a dwelling- room, a lodging-room over it, and a gun-room over that. 
The erection of this castle gave rise to the present name of the island. 
Great improvements are in progress here by tlie United States Govern- 
ment. 

GOVERNORS' ISLAND, 

Lies about one mile north of Castle Island, and was first called Conant's 
Island. It was demised to Governor Winthrop in 1632, and for many 
years after was called the Governor's Garden. It is now in the possession 
of James Winthrop. Esq.. a descendant of the first Governor, excepting a 
part conveyed by him to the United States, for the purpose of constructing 
a fortress, novy called Fort Warren. Its situation is very commanding, and 
in some respects superior to Castle Island. 



ISLANDS IN BOSTON HAKBOR. 145 

NODDLE'S ISLAND 

Was first occupied by Samuel Maverick. He was on it when the settle- 
ment of Boston commenced. He built a fort in which he mounted four 
cannons, and afterwards had a grant of it from the General Court. In 1814, 
a strong fortress was built on this island by the citizens, and called Fort 
Strong, in honor of the Governor. This island is now known by the name 
of East Boston. 

POINT SHIRLY 

Formerly had the name of Pulling Point. The name which it now bears 
was given to it by the proprietors, as a mark of respect to the late Gover- 
nor Shirly. 

DEER ISLAND 

Is a delightful island, and is owned and leased by the city. It was for- 
merly a place of great resort in the summer season for parlies of pleasure. 
Here is a large and convenient house, with a spacious ball-room and other 
conveniences, for the accommodation of visitors. The general government 
for several years past have been building a sea-wall round it of a formidable 
character. The first appropriation of Congress towards the object was 
eighty-seven thousand dollars. 

LIGHTHOUSE ISLAND, 
"Was known for many years by the name of Beacon Island. The first 
lighthouse was erected in 1715. Pilots are established at this place, pro- 
vided with excellent boats, and a piece of artillery to answer signals. 

THOMPSON'S ISLAND. 

Tliis is a promontory, nearly a mile and a half long, jutting into the har- 
bor, opposite Spectacle Island. The Boston Farm School Association have 
purchased this island, and established here their Farm School. 

NIX'S MATE 

Is an irregular, barren, and rocky base of an island, between Gallop and 
Long Island Head, almost entirely concealed at high water. There is a 
beacon of split stone in the centre, nearly forty feet s(iu<Tre, fastened to- 
gether by copper bolts, which perfectly secures it from the tremendous 
force of the waves in times of northeasterly gales. To speak more defi- 
nitely, the shape is a parallelogram, the sides being 12 feet high, and as- 
cended by stone steps on the south side. On the top of this, is a six-sided 
pyramid of wood, 20 feet high, with one window to the south. This is the 
conspicuous part of the beacon, and serves as a prominent warning to sea- 
men, to keep from the dangerous shoal on which it stands. At low tide, 
more than an acre of land is visible, and at high tide, only small boats can 



146 BOSTON IN DISTRICTS. 



sail to the monument. A very aged gentleman states, that he can remem- 
ber when Nix's Mate was a verdant island, on which a large number of 
sheep were pastured. Forty-five years ago, although the soil is now com- 
pletely gone, there was pasturage for 50 head of sheep, entirely above high- 
waler-mark. 

Tradition says, that the master of a vessel, whose name was Nix, was 
murdered by his mate, and buried on this island, some century and a half 
ago. The mate was executed for the horrid crime, but declared he was in- 
nocent of the murder, and prophesied that the island, as an evidence of his 
innocence, would be entirely washed away. He was executed nearly on 
the spot where the pyramid is erected. The total disappearance of the 
land, above water, has led many to believe the truth of his assertion, — 
that he was unjustly put to death. The circumstances were handed down 
from one generation to another, till llie erection of the beacon, when by 
general consent, among seamen, it took the name of Nix's Blate. It was 
the custom about a century ago to hang pirates in chains on this island, to 
strike a terror to sailors as they come into port, that the influence might 
deter them from the commission of such wickedness. 



BOSTON IN DISTRICTS. 

NORTH BOSTON. 
Boston, like many other large cities, has been, by common consent, di- 
vided into districts, with names indicating the location of each. Thus we 
have North Boston, West Boston, East Boston, South End, and South Bos- 
ton. The first section embraces the north end of the city, or all that part 
lying north of Faneuil Hall, and what was the Canal, or Mill-Creek. This 
is the oldest part, and formerly had the advantage of the principal trade. 
The streets here are generally narrow and crooked, and some of them re- 
main much as they were when first constructed, on the model of the old 
towns in England. "The government of the town, soon after its settle- 
ment, endeavored to correct some of their early errors, yet they seem to 
have had an utter aversion to straight lines or right angles ; and though 
their moral walk was upright, they took little pains to make their crooked 
highways straight." This irregularity, however, was partly occasioned 
by the uneven surface of the ground when the city weis first built, and it is 
by no means certain tliat this ancient disposition of the streets, manifests 
a want of taste, or has materially injured the appearance of the city. On 
this subject a writer observes, '"the forms and turnings of the streets of 
London, and other old towns, are produced by accident, without any origi- 
nal plan or design ; but they are not always the less pleasant to the walker 
or spectator, on that account. On the contrary, had they been built on 



BOSTON IN DISTRICTS. 147 



ihe regular plan of Sir Christopher Wren, the eft'ecl might have been, as it 
is ill some new places, rather unpleasing." In North Boston the buildings 
are mostly old, and many are built of wood, and exhibit the different styles 
of architecture used for a period of more than a century and a half. Ex- 
cept a portion of what was formerly the Mill- Pond, the only spot of land 
not covered by buildings at present is on Copps Hill, and the greater part of 
this is occupied for a burial ground. From this hill the British cannon- 
aded the town of Charlestown in 1775, during the memorable battle of 
Bunker Hiil, when the village was principally destroyed by conflagration. 
They left a small fort standing on this hill, which remained a favorite re- 
sort for the recreation of school boys till 1S07. The natural situation of 
this section of the city gives it an advantage over any other part ; whether 
considered as a place for comfortable and healthy residence or its conven- 
ience for trade. The channel of Charles River runs close to the shore, and 
has depth and width sufficient to accommodate ships of the greatest bur- 
den. The spirit for improvement, recently awakened in North Boston, 
shows that the citizens begin to appreciate its advantages. 

WEST BOSTON. 
This part of the city lie* between the Common and Canal street, west of 
Hanover and Tremont streets, and has been recently built. The buildings 
are principally of brick, erected in a handsome style, and are mostly used 
as dwellings. The State-House, Hospital, National Theatre, Court-House, 
and Jail, are located in this section. 

SOUTH END. 
The South End comprises all the peninsula south of Summer and Win- 
ter streets, and extends to Roxbury. About one fourth of the buildings in 
this section are of wood. Those that have been most recently erected are 
of brick and granite, exhibiting an improved style of architecture. The 
buildings here, also, are generally occupied for dwellings, except the lower 
stories of those on Washington street. 

SOUTH BOSTON. 
South Boston is that section of the city which is separated from the pen- 
insula, or the ancient town, by an arm of the harbor reaching to Rox- 
bury. It contains about 560 acres, and, except East Boston, is the newest 
and most unsettled part o the city. Within a few years the population 
has increased rapidly, and a considerable number of buildings has been 
erected, principally of brick. This one was a part of Dorchester, and 
etnhraces the hills formerly known as Dorchester Heights, so famed in the 
annals of the American Revolution. There are two free bridges that con- 
nect this with the older part of the city; — one is at the South End near 
the commencement of the Neck; the other leads from Wind-Mill Point, 
anil was huilt in l'^2?. There is one bank located here. 



148 BOSTON IN DISTRICTS. 



EAST BOSTON. 

This is an island, formerly known as Maverick's, Noddle's, and Wil- 
liams' Island. In 1814, the citizens of Boston erected a fori on its eastern 
extremity, which was called Fort Strong. In 1S30, some eight or ten of 
our most enterprising capitalists, purchased this island and commenced 
laying it out into streets and lots, with a view of making it an important 
part of the city. 

Among the important improvements in that portion of the city termed 
East Boston, we enumerate I. The introduction of the Cochituale water 
by the city of Boston. II. The construction of the Grand Junction Rail- 
road, now near its completion. III. The construction of the sea-wall 
across the Basin, thus reclaiming a large quantity of lowlands which were 
hitherto partially covered by the tide- waters. These lands consist of marsh 
and flats to the extent of about ninety-five acres, lying between Westwood 
Island and the Eastern Railroad. 

The population of East Boston at this time amounts to 10,500, exclusive 
of a great number of mechanics and laborers who here find employment, 
but whose families reside elsewhere. The number of births during the 
year was 408, the number of families resident in East Boston on the 1st 
of April, 1851, was 2,032, the number of houses 1,294, of which 42 were 
erected in 1850. There was also erected a fine block of brick warehouses 
by the East Boston Wharf Company on Lewis street, at a cost of $35,000, 
sixteen wooden buildings for workshops and other purposes, and one 
church, (now being completed,) making a total of 1,615 buildings. 

The religious advantages of East Boston are sufficiently varied and ex- 
tensive to suit all shades of opinion. Seven different denominations main- 
tain the preaching of the Gospel, viz: — Orthodox, Baptist, Methodist, 
Catholic, Universalist, Unitarian, and Episcopal. Five of these societies 
have commodious church edifices, the others worship in large and conven- 
ient halls ; together, they furnish accommodations for seating 3,750 per- 
sons. The educational advantages of East Boston are most ample. There 
are two Grammar Schools with 20 teachers, and an attendance of 1,083 
scholars; and 19 Primary Schools with 19 teachers and an attendance of 
about 1,042 scholars. Besides the above Public Schools, 2 Private Schools 
are sustained on the Island. We have also a Library Association, which 
was established in 1849, and which now has a library of over 700 volumes. 
Able and valuable lectures are given before this Association during the 
winter months. 

A Benevolent Society for the relief of the destitute is also sustained by 
our citizens. A Savings Bank and a Fire Insurance Company are also lo- 
cated in East Boston. 

The-foUowing summary of statistics will exhibit the amount of capital 



BOSTON IN DISTRICTS. 149 



invested in manufacturing and mechanical business in East Boston, the 
number of hands employed, and the amount of annual products. 





No. of 


Annual 


Capital. 


hands. 


product. 


$1,858,000 


1,192 


3,769,916 


71,000 


295 


851.300 


45,000 




332,000 


32 030 


275 


140,000 


49,000 


23 

1,785 


133,500 


S 2,056,000 


5,231,716 



Business. 

Manufacturing and Mechanics, 
Ship Building, 
Lumber, Wood, Coal, &c., 
Teaming, Trucking, &,c., 
Curing and Packing Fish, 



Steam power is used in 20 of the establishments mentioned in the table, 
and three others are making preparations to use it. At the different ship- 
yards there were built the past year 14 ships and barks, making an aggre- 
gate tonnage of 14,035 tons. During the first six months of 1851, the ships 
launched or now on the stocks, include 10,895 tons. 

East Boston, with its superior location for commercial and manufactur- 
ing purposes, will doubtless soon double its present population. It has a 
water frontage of 17,000 feet on the deep water of the harbor as well 
adapted and better protected for commerce than wharves in the city prop- 
er. This has been fully proved by the late severe gale; while wharves in 
the other parts of the harbor and shipping received great damage, none, 
comparatively speaking, was sustained at the wharves at East Boston. 

The Grand Junction Railroad with its large and commodious shipping 
depot is nearly completed. This road will unite East Boston with all the 
principal roads from the city, thus affording an unbroken chain of railroad 
communication from the deep water wharves in this section of the city 
through the great manufacturing districts of New England to the Canadas, 
the lakes, and the great West, greatly to the advantage of the commerce 
of Boston, by bringing to and taking from the ships and warehouses all 
merchandise intended for the interior, and products and manufactures des- 
tined for shipment, free from expense of transhipment. 

The East Boston Company are now about closing contracts for building 
a block of fire-proof granite warehouses upon tiieir depot grounds. 

It is confidently expected that a large shipping business will soon be 
commenced at these deiwts, greatly to the advantage of East Boston. 

The. Grand Junction Railroad can extend its tracks whenever the public 
convenience shall require it, around 23,000 feet frontage of the deep water 
in Boston Harbor, the whole front of Chelsea and East Boston, from the 
free bridge in Chelsea Creek to Jeffries Point. 

The great railroail system of New England, radiating from Boston in 
all directions, is nearly completed. Tliere are now finished and in oper- 
ation, three great line^ of road from Boston to the Canadas and Great 



150 BOSTON IN DISTRICTS. 



West, and two other lines are partially finished. The lines completed and 
in operation are the Western, the Southern, and the Northern routes, 
through New Hampshire and Vermont. The lines partially completed, are 
the Passumpsic and Troy. When all these five great lines are in full oper- 
ation, reaching the Canadais and Great West at different points, Boston will 
realize the full henefit of her magnificent enterprise and enormous expen- 
ditures in perfecting this great work, which must prove so advantageous 
to both her local and commercial business. The eligibility of her location 
2is a shipping port for the Canadas, and an export city for the West, will be 
seen by the following statement of distances, as compared with New 
York. 

To Boston. To New York. 

From Liverpool, via Halifax 2,876 miles. 3,093 miles. 

" " direct 2,856 " 3,073 " 

From Halifax 368 " 580 " 

From Montreal 344 " 398 " 

The difference between Liverpool and Montreal, in favor of Boston over 
New York, is 271 miles. 

The import and export business of the lake harbors in 1851, may be set 
down as equal to $ 200,000,000, exclusive of the trade of the Canadas. Col- 
onel Abert of the United States Topographical Engineers Corps estimates 
the annual increase of the lake business at 17^ per cent. ; at that rale the 
business will double in less than every six years. 

The aggregate of exports from Canada West in 1848, was $ 10,000,000, 
and the late Secretary Walker, says the trade with the Canadas, under 
free trade regulations, would amount to $40,000,000, annually. 

The commerce of the Canadas, after our railroads are completed, is 
doubtless to be carried on through the United States, under recent acts of 
Congress designed for this purpose, allowing goods and merchandise in 
traTisitu to pass through the country free of duty. The advantages of Bos- 
ton in the competition for this trade are so manifest that their importance 
will be readily appreciated. Cargoes from Liverpool, in sailing vessels 
from the Canadas, may be delivered, via Boston, in thirty days, and twelve 
days by steamships, and subject only to the freight on shipboard and rail- 
road ; and the productions of the Canadas and Great West, may be shipped 
by the way of Boston at the same expense, and free from all charges of 
transhipment, &c. A fair proportion of this immense business will here- 
after flow over our several lines of railroad to the deep water wharves in 
Boston Harbor, for shipment. 



THEATRES IN BOSTON. 



151 



THEATRES IN BOSTON. 

The Theatres of Boston are limited in number, and rather ordinary in 
appearance. They are as follows : — 1. The National Theatre, corner of 
Portland and Travers streets. 2. The Boston Theatre, formerly known as 
the Odeon, in Federal street. 3. The Howard Athenaeum, in Howard 
street. The Museum, in Tremont street, is also open for theatrical per- 
formances. 




THE XATIONAL. THEATRE. 

Tliis theatre, planned and erected by Mr. William Washburn, is 120 by 
75 feet, exclusive of the saloons, refreshment-rooms, &c., which are con- 
tained in an adjoining building, 20 by 60 feet, fronting on Travers street, 
and communicating with the lobbies. The leading architectural features 
are Doric, presenting broad pilasters with slight projections on the front, 
which support an unbroken entablature and a pediment, 18 feet high at 
each end. The roof is covered with slate and zinc, and is surmounted by 
an octagonal lantern^ 12 feet in diameter and 13 feet high, having a win- 
dow on each of its sides. The structure is covered on the exterior walls 
with cement, in imitation of granite, which gives an uniform and beauti- 
ful appearance. The interior comprises a pit with 500 seats, three tiers of 
boxes, with 335 seats each, and a gallery with 200 seats. The saloons, lob- 
bies, refreshment- rooms, &c., are spacious, convenient, and well ventilated 
by large windows on the two streets, and in rear. The boxes have five 
rows of seats each, and are accessible from both streets, affording, in case 
of fire or other cause of alarm, ready egress from the house. The main 
roof is supported by 13 hard-pine pillars, 30 feet high and 10 inches square^ 



I 



152 THEATRES IN BOSTON. 



which also support a portion of the boxes, and divide them from the lob- 
bies. The remaining boxes are supported by two octagonal pillars of the 
same material, 9 inches in diameter. The main ceiling is a single arch, of 
55 feet span, rising within 9 feet of the ridge. The gallery is entirely 
above the level cornice of the building, having an arched ceiling which 
rises five feet higher than the main ceiling, and is ventilated by a large 
round window placed in the centre of the tympanum. The procenium 
presents an opening 40 feet wide and 33 feet high. It is composed of pi- 
lasters, having ornamented capitals and bases, which support a beautifully 
enriched arch, crowned with the American eagle. The depth of the stage 
is 61 feet. The circle of boxes is so arranged, that in every part of the 
house a full view is had of the stage. The decorations are in good 
taste. The lower tier of boxes is adorned with paintings of the battles of 
the United States Navy ; the second tier bears the arms of the States, and 
the upper parts have appropriate scenes from the Iliads. 

The prices of tickets are for boxes, $1 ; dress circle, 50 cents; family 
circle and pit, 25 cents ; gallery, 12^ cents. 



THE BOSTON THEATRE 

Is situated on the comer of Federal and Franklin streets. This build- 
ing, when tirst erected, was 140 feet long, 61 wide, and 40 feet in height. 
In 1824, an addition was made to the west end of the building, of about 12 
feet, with corresponding improvements in the interior. It was first opened 
February 3, 1794, with the tragedy of Gustavas Vasa Erickson, the deliv- 
erer of Sweden, under the management of Mr. Charles Stewart Powell. 

Mr. Williamson having failed as manager of the Federal street Theatre, 
it was taken by Messrs. Barrett and Harper, in 1797. During the season 
this Theatre was destroyed by fire, on the afternoon of February 2, 1798. 
Messrs. Barrett and Harper applied for the use of the Haymarket Theatre, 
and were refused. 

The theatre having been rebuilt, was opened under the management of 
Mr. Hodgkinson, October 29, 1798. The pieces performed were a prelude, 
called "The First Night's Apology, or all in a Bustle," " Wives as ihey 
Were," and the " Purse." 

The Boston Theatre opened in 1828, under the management of Mr. 
Charles Young, for the proprietors. This season proved a most unfortu- 
nate speculation. The opposition was carried on between this and the Tre- 
mjnt Theatre with great spirit and great loss. Stars were engaged not 
merely on their own terms, but frequently at much more than their mod- 
esty would permit them to ask. Second-rate performers, both male and fe- 
male, had their hundred dollars per night ! 



BOSTON WATER-WORKS. 



153 




THE FOUNTAIN ON BOSTON COMMON. 

BOSTON WATER-AVORKS. 

No improvement of greater magnitude or importance has ever been 
undertaken by the city than the Water-Works. Boston, though origi- 
nally selected as a place of residence for its abundance of pure water, for 
many years has not contained within itself an adequate supply. As early 
as Feb. 27, 1795, the Boston Aqueduct Company was incorporated for the 
purpose of introducing into tlie city the water of Jamaica Pond, in Rok- 
bury. Tiiis pond, at its highest elevation, is 49 feet above tide-water, and 
is capable of a ma.ximum daily supply of about 50,000 gallons. In lS4o, 
the company had laid about 5 miles of 8 and 4 inch iron pipe, and 10 
miles of wooden pipe, conveying the water to nearly 3,000 houses. This 
was inadequate to meet the wants of the city. 

At the taking of the census in 1845, a careful examination to ascertain 
the supply of water in Boston was made, with the following results : — 

Owned by Not owned _, , 

Occup.Tnt. by Occupant. ' O'"' 

3,201 7,169 10.370 

. 1.9S6 3..30I 5,237 

Wells whose water is drinkable, . . 1,6S5 2.G39 4.324 

Wells affording a snpi)ly, .... 1,750 2,435 4.2;3."> 

Wells whose water will wash with soap, 75 139 214 

Houses having cisterns 1,634 2.911 4 445 

Houses which take aqueduct water, . 973 2.237 3.211) 



Classes of Houses 

Inhabited houses, . 
Houses having wells, 



154 BOSTON WATER-WORKS. 



Owned by 


Not owned 


Total. 


Occupant. 


by Occupant. 


1,731 


3,202 


4,933 


1,215 


3,863 


5,0S3 


301 


662 


963 


236 


816 


1,052 


?, 1,911 


3,162 


5,073 


1,516 


4,530 


6,Oi6 


1,567 


4,358 


5,925 


2,228 


4,932 


7,1.60 


1,470 


3,967 


5,437 



Classes of Houses. 

Houses supplied with soft water, 

Houses having no wells, 

Wells whose water is not drinlcable, . 

Wells which do not afford a supply, 

Wells whose water will not wash with soap, 1,911 

Houses without drinkable well water, 

Houses having no cisterns. 

Houses which do not take aqueduct water, 

Houses not supplied with soft water, 

Various Commissions had been constituted by the city, at different 
limes between 1825 and 1844, to examine the waters in the neighborhood, 
for the purpose of selecting one which could properly be introduced into 
the city. None was, however, definitely agreed upon. In August, 1844, 
Messrs. Patrick T. Jackson, Nathan Hale, and James F. Baldwin were 
appointed Commissioners " to report the best mode and expense of bring- 
ing the waters of Long Pond into the city"; and they reported on the 
9lh of November following. At the next session of the Legislature, an 
act was passed giving authority to the city to construct the works, but on 
submitting it to the people, the act was not accepted. In 1845, another 
Commission, consisting of John B. Jervis, of New York, and Waller R. 
Johnson, of Philadelphia, was appointed to report the best sources and 
mode of supply. Their report was made November 18, 1845, and recom- 
mended Long Pond. An act, granting the necessary powers, with author- 
ity to create a city debt of $3,000,000, was passed by the Legislature, 
March 30, 1846, and accepted by the legal voters of the city, April 10, 
1S48 Other necessary preliminary measures were taken. Nathan Hale, 
James F. Baldwin, and Thomas B. Curtis were appointed on 4th May, 
1346, Water Commissioners, and they entered immediately on the dis- 
charge of their duties. In consequence of the increased expenditures on 
the work, an additional act of the Legislature was passed May 1, 1849, 
authorizing an additional debt of $ 1,500,000. 

Long Pond, or Lake Cochittjate, as it was named in 1846, lies in the 
towns of Framingham, Natick, and Wayland. The gatehouse of the 
aqueduct is in Wayland, near the Natick line. It contains 659 acres, and 
drains about 11,400 acres, and is in some places 70 to 80 feet in depth. It 
is divided into two sections by a dam al the wading place, on the highway 
across the lake from Framingham to Cochituate Village. The northerly 
section, connected with the aqueduct, contains about 200 acres ; and the 
southerly section, which is held in reserve, ,to l)e drawn upon as wanted, 
contains about 459 acres. It will supply, according to the lowest estimate, 
10,000,000 gallons of water daily. 

Two Compensation Resej-i^ohs, to supply the water rights on Concord 



BOSTON WATEU-WORKS. 155 



River, instead of Long Pond, have been consinicled. The Whiteliail res- 
ervoir in Hopkinlon, containing 576 acres, and capable of yielding, for 
■hree months, 12,000,000 gallons of water each 24 hours ; and the Fort 
Meadow Brook reservoir in Marlborough, containing 290 acres. 

The range between high and low water will be about 7i feet. At its 
highest elevation it will be about 12 feet above the bottom of the aque- 
duct at the outlet, and 135 feet above high- water at Boston. At its low- 
est level the water will be r24.S6 feet above high-water. The fall from the 
Lake to the Brookline reservoir is 4.26 feet, making the height of the res- 
ervoir at its lowest level, 120.60 feet above high-watcr-mark. The reser- 
voir will, however, retain the water safely 2^ feet higher, or 12.3 feet above 
high-water, or 16 feet above the floor of the State House. The Fountain 
Basin on the Common is about 24J feet above high-water, or 96 feet below 
the minimum level of the Brookline reservoir, and a 3 inch jet has been 
raised thence 92 feet, or within 4 feet of its source, though that source is 
at a distance of 4J miles. In the lower parts of the city, the water, con- 
veyed through a hose of the ordinary size of 2^ inches, attached to one of 
the hydrants, will throw a column of water, without the aid of a fire en- 
gine, by the force of the head on the pipe, to the height of 75 or SO feet. 
The Fountain on the Common is supplied with the means of furnishing a 
great variety of jets, many of which are of great beauty, and attract gen- 
eral notice and admiration. One of these is given in the accompanying 
cut. 

The distance from the Lake to Beacon Hill reservoir is as follows : — 

Feet. 

From the Gatehouse at the Lake to the West bank of Charles 

River, near Newton Lower Falls, 41,187 

Thence to the West end of the Brookline reservoir, . . 36,051 

Total, from the Lake to Brookline reservoir, .... 77,238 * 
From West end of Brookline reservoir to the Gatehouse at the 

Ea.stend, 2,000 

Thence to Beacon Hill reservoir, 24,893 

Total from West end of Brookline reservoir to Beacon Hill reser- 
voir, 26,89St 

From the Lake to Beacon Hill reservoir, 1W,136I 

The Brookline Reservoir is a beautiful structure, of irregular, elliptic 
shape. The land purchased, including the surrounding embankment, with 
the necessary margin for its protection, was 33 acres. The area of the 
surface of the water is about 22J acres. It is capable of containing about 
100,000,000 gallons of water, a quantity sufficient for the city for a period 
of two weeks, should the supply by any accident be interrupted so long. 

• Or I4.62J miles. t Or 5 094 milei. : Or 13.719 miles. 



156 



BOSTON WATER-WORKS. 



The Beacon Hill reservoir is a structure of massive stone masonry. Its 
exterior dimensions are, on Dcrne street 199 feet and 3 inches; on Temple 
street 182 feet and 11 inches; on Hancock street 191 feet and 7 inches; 
and on the rear of Mount Vernon street 206 feel and 5 inches. Its height, 
from the foundation to the top of the coping, exclusive of the railing, is, 
on Derne street 66 feet, and on the rear of Mount Vernon street 43 feet. 
The foundation or substructure which is to support the basin, or reservoir, 
of water, rests on arches of immense strength, 14J feet span. The lateral 
basin walls which are to retain the water are 12 feet within the faces of 
the exterior walls on the streets. They are raised from the bottom of the 
reservoir or basin to the height of 15 feet and 8 inches, including 20 inches 
of coping. The contents of the basin will be equal to 2,678,961 w^ine gal- 
lons, and its mean horizontal section equal to 23,014 square feet. The 
line or level, at this reservoir, corresponding to the maximum level of the 
water in the reservoir at Brookline, which is about 123 feet above marsh 
level, or high-water-mark, will run about 7 inches on the coping, or 14 
feet and 7 inches above the bottom of the basin ; and the minimum level 
of the Brookline reservoir will be 2^ feet below this line. It must be ap- 
parent that whatever may be the height of water at Brookline, it must, 
when flowing, be at a lower level on Beacon hill. The difference in the 
height of water in the two reservoirs will vary with the supply and dis- 
charge. 

On the northerly side of the reservoir are two granite tablets, on which 
are cut the following inscriptions : — • 



BOSTON WATER-WORKS. 

BEGUN Aug: 1846. water introduced oct: 1848. 

JOSIAH QTJL\CY, JR., Mayor. 

r NATHAN HALE, 
COMMISSIONERS, -^ JAMES F. BALDWIN, 
C THOMAS B. CURTIS. 



BOSTON WATER-WORKS. 

the reservoir completed NOV., 1849, 

JOHN P. BIGELOW, Mayor. 

C W. S. WHITWELL, East Div. 
ENGINEERS, < E. S. CHESBROUGH, West Div. 
i JOHN B. JERVIS, Consulting. 



BOSTON WATERWORKS, 157 



The South Boston reservoir is situated on Telegraph Hill, the old " Dor- 
chester Heights." It is entered by a 20 inch piix; from the main in Tre- 
mont, through Dover street, over the South Free Bridge. The water is 
about 16 feet deep, of the same height as Beacon Hill reservoir, and it will 
contain 7,000,000 gallons. 

The water is conveyed from the Lake to the Brookline reservoir in an 
aqueduct, excepting 96o feet across the valley of Charles River, where 
are two parallel iron pipes of 30 inches in diameter. There are two tun- 
nels, one in Newton of 2,410^ feet, and another in Brookline of 1,123^ feet. 
The former passes through a hill 86 feet below the surface, at its highest 
elevation. The aqueduct is built principally of brick masonry, in an 
oval, egg shape, 6 feet 4 inches in height by 5 feet in width, uid has a grad- 
ual fall for the whole distance, including the pipe section, of 3^ inches to 
the mile, nearly. With this fall, and a depth of 3 feet 10 inches of water, 
when the conduit is two thirds full, it is estimated to convey 11,000,000 
gallons per day. From the Brookline reservoir it is conveyed to the city 
in two main 36 inch iron pipes. 

In May, 1851, the Cochituale Water Board purchased the property of 
the Jamaica Pond Aqueduct Company (excepting a smjdl lot of land) for 
the sum of $ 45,000. This transfer of property and interest was made by 
a corporate suit of the latter to and confirmed by the individual transfer 
of shares held. This purchase was recommended by the Water Com- 
missioners in December, 1846, at a cost not exceeding S 80,000. The re- 
ceipts of the Jamaica Pond Company have been of late years $ 38,000 per 
annum and the net revenue §22,000. 

The following shows the power by which the " Cochituate Water 
Board " recently purchased the property and franchise of the Jamaica 
Pond Aqueduct Corporation : 

" The Cochituate Water Board shall have and exercise all the powers 
vested in the City Council by an act of the Legislature of Massachusetts, 
passed on the thirtieth day of March in the year eighteen hundred and 
forty-six, entitled an act for supplying the city of Boston with pure wa- 
ter." — Ordinance of the city. 

The following is the section of the Act of the Legislature, referred to in 
the above ordinance. 

"The said city of Boston is hereby authorized to purchase and hold all 
the property, estates, rights, and privileges, of the Aqueduct Corporation, 
incorporated by an Act passed Febniary 27th, in the year one thousand 
seven hundred and ninety-five, and by any convenient mode may connect 
the same w^ith their other works." 

In order to supply every portion of the city with the Cochituate water, 
pipes have been laid from the Fitchhurg Railroad depot (Haverhill Street) 
f,o East Boston. This has been accomplished by placing pipes under the 
Warren Bridge leading to Charlestown, across Charles River, and under 



153 BOSTON WATERWORKS. 



Chelsea bridge across Mystic River. Then led into other pipes leading 
through Charlestown and Chelsea, and thence to the reservoir at East Bos- 
ton. 

From the Annual Report of the Water Board, dated December 10, 1850, 
we learn that the receipts of the Water Department, for water rates, from 
January 4 to December 4, 1850 (eleven months), were $97,943.14; and 
from other sources, $7,171.20. And the number of water takers had in- 
creased to 13,463. During the same period the expenditures of the Water 
Board were S 47,095. 

The total length of distribution pipe laid in that period, was as fol- 
lows : — 

In Boston proper, 260 feet. 

In South Boston, 1 mile, 1,702 feet. 

In East Boston (including main pipe from Haymar- 
ket Square), 12 miles, 1,146 feet. 

Total, 13 miles, 3,108 feet. 

The total length laid from the commencement of the works, till Decem- 
ber, 1850, in all parts of the city, in Brookline, Roxbury, Charlestown, and 
Chelsea, was 96 miks, 4,301 feet ; excluding the service pipes, of which 
there were 15,143 in number. 

The entire cost of an the works, except the East Boston branch, has 
been, $4,105,166 

And the branch to East Boston, 346,000 



Total cost, $4,451,166 

The number of fire hydrants now e.stablished is, 
In the City proper, . . 791 In Roxbury, .... 5 
" South Boston, . . .154 " Charlestown, . . 11 

" East Boston, . . . 35 " Chelsea, .... 8 

"Brookline, ... 1 

Total, 1,005 

The main pipe for the supply of East Boston is 20 inches in diameter, 
and commences at Haymarket Square. It crosses Charles River on the 
lower side of the Warren Bridge, partly on independent pile work, passing 
the draw by means of an inverted syphon which leaves sufficient space for 
the largest class of vessels tiiat can pass this bridge. Thence it passes 
through the Square and Chelsea street in Charlestown, and thence across 
Mystic River, on independent pile work, by the upper side of Chelsea 
Bridge. In passing this stream, two inverted syphons were placed oppo- 
site the draws in Chelsea Bridge, one near the Charlestown shore, and the 
other near the Chelsea shore. The latter leaves a clear space of 50 feet, 
which is considerably more than the width of the draw opposite. The en- 
largement was made on account of the possibility of a larger class of ves- 



BOSTON WATERWORKS. 159 



seld being built at Medfoiil than has been constructed there heretofore. 
The main then passes along the Salem Turnpike, and through Williams and 
Marginal streets in Chelsea, and about 400 feet beyond the grounds of the 
United States Marine Hospital it turns and crosses Chelsea Creek to the 
reservoir on Eagle Hill. The channel of this creek is passed by a fle.xible 
pipe, instead of a pile bridge and syphon near the East Boston Free Bridge, 
as it was originally contemplated. 

This change was made with the concurrence of the Water Committee, 
and it is believed will result in a saving of S 30,000 in the first cost of the 
work, besides shortening the length of the main 1 1-5 miles, and conse- 
quently making a material increa.se in its capacity to discharge water into 
the East Boston Reservoir. This reservoir is 30 feet deep, and will hold 
when filled to a level 3 feel below its top, 5,591,816 wine gallons. 

To the main pipe there has been attached 11 fire hydrants in Charles- 
town, and 8 in Chelsea. These are to be used only on the occurrence of 
fires, and not for any other purposes. 

During the year two general examinations of the interior of the aqueduct 
have been made. On the upper portion of the line a great many small 
leaks into the aqueduct exist. Those have been there, with but little ex- 
ception, from the commencement, and it was impossible to keep them out 
at first, without very great expense, and serious delay in the completion of 
the work. As similar springs were known to exist in some portions of the 
Croton Aqueduct, without injuring the stability of that structure, it was 
believed that they would be equally harmless here ; and the result of our 
experience thus far confirms this belief. Occasionally a spring is known to 
bring in sand or other material, from the outside of the conduit. When- 
ever this occurs, it is deemed important to stop the spring ; but in no case, 
so far, has there been any difficulty ; and those places which at first caused 
some anxiety on this account, have ceased to do so. 

Several portions of the aqueduct were built on puddled embankments. 
Though a very economical mode of construction, it was looked upon as 
somewhat of an experiment. But the result shows that where these em- 
bankments were made of sand and gravel, the aqueduct has already come 
to a firm bearing, and has given very little trouble with regard to repairs. 
Where the aqueduct was built upon puddled clay the result has not been so 
satisfactory ; but even with these it has not been necessary to make any 
repairs during the year, except in one place ; aiid then the amount expend- 
ed was very sni;dl. 

The external structures along the line of the works are all in good order. 
The excessive rains of the past season have washeil the embankments very 
little. Owing to the lateness of the season at which the Beacon Hill reser- 
voir was finished last year, it was not advisable to point the joints of the 
masonry then. This caused some leakage, which, though trifling in 
amount, gave an unsightly appearance to portions of the structure. 



160 



NEW CITY JAIL. 




NEW CITY JAIIi. 

The expediency of erecting a new Jail has been considered in Boston by 
every City Council for the last twelve years ; and complaints have often 
been made against the city by different grand juries, for not providing bet- 
ter accommodations than are afforded by the Leverett Street Jail. Various 
projects, sites, and plans have been brought forward, but none was defi- 
nitely agreed upon until December, 1848, when the plan of the one now in 
the process of erection was adopted. 

This building is located on a street to be a continuation of Charles 
street northerly, between it and Grove street, on land reclaimed from the 
ocean, about 100 feet north of Cambridge street, between that street, and 
the Medical College and the General Hospital on the north, and about as 
far from Cambridge street as the New Eye and Ear Infirmary is south of 
it, so that all four of these public buildings are in the same part of the 
city. They will be seen on the whole length of Cambridge Bridge, in ap- 
proaching the city from the west. Coming in from Cambridge, the Eye 
and Ear Infirmary, a brick building, will appear on the right of the east- 
ern extremity of the ttridge ; the new Jail on the left, a centre with wings 
of split granite, facing the west : farther north the Medical College, a 
brick building, and farther north still, the noble building, the General Hos- 
pital, a centre with wings, facing the south, all of them open to the wa- 
ter, and to the pure air coming across it. 

The jail is " cruciform " in plan, consisting of a centre octagonal build- 
ing, having four wings radiating from the centre. The west wing will 
measure 55 feet in width, and 6-1 feet in length, and of uniform height with 
the three other wings ; it will be four stories in height, the lower one of 
which will contain the family kitchen and scullery of the jailer; the 



NKVV CITY JAIL. 161 



second story have the jailor's oflice, officers' rooms, eind jailor's family 
parlors ; the third story will be devoted entirely to the sleeping rooms of 
the jailor's family and olTicers. and the fourth story will be appropriated 
for the hospital and chapel. 

The centre octagonal building will measure 70 feet stjuare, and 85 feet in 
height above the surface of the ground. It will be but two stories in 
height, the lower one of which will contain the great kitchen, scullery, 
bakery, and laundry, and will be on a uniform level with the lower story 
of cells in each of the three wings which contain the same. The upper 
story will be finished as one " great central guard and inspection room," 
reacliing from the ceiling of the first story up to the roof of the building ; 
this room will measure 70 feet square, and will contain the galleries and 
staircases connecting with the galleries around the outside of the cells in 
the three wings. 

The north, south, and east wings, to contain the cells, are to be con- 
structed upon the " Auburn plan," being a prison within a prison; thu 
north and south wings will each measure 80 feet 6 inches in length, and 
5o feet in width, and 56 feet in height above the surface of the ground ; 
the block of cells within each of the north and south wings will measure 
6.3 feet 6 inches in length, 21 feel in width, and 54 feet in height, and will 
be divided into five stories ; each story will contain ten cells, each of 
which will measure 8 by U feet, and 10 feet high, thus giving to each of 
these two wings 50 cells. 

The east wing will measure 164 feet 6 inches in length, 55 feet in width, 
and 56 feet in height above the surface of the ground ; the block of cells 
within this wing will be 146 feet 6 inches long, 21 feet wide, and 54 feet 
high ; it will also be divided into five stories in height ; each story will 
contain 24 cells of uniform size with the cells of the northern and southern 
wings, before described, thus giving to this wing 120 cells. 

The spaces around the outside of each block of cells in each of the 
wings (between the cell walls and the exterior walls of the said wings), are 
to be " areas," which are to be open from the floor of the lower story of 
cells in each wing, to the ceiling of the upper story. Galleries of iron 
will e.-ctcnd the entire length of each of these spaces, outside of the cells, 
on a level with each of the floors. These galleries will form a communi- 
cation with other galleries, which are to encircle the interior of the " cen- 
tre octagonal building," on the same uniform level with the other galleries. 
Each cell will contain a window and a door communicating immediately 
with the galleries of the areas. 

All the areas around the outside of the cells of the north, south, and 
east wings, receive light from the great windows of the exterior walls. 
These windows will be thirty in numl)er. each measuring 10 feet in width, 
and .3-3 feet in height, be.ieath which other windows, 10 feet wide and 9 feet 
in height, will be placed, thus yicldinsr an amount of li£rht to the interior 



162 EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY. 

of the cells probably four times as great as any prison yet constructed 
upon the Auburn system. The jail kitchen and guard or inspection room, 
of the centre octagonal building, will receive light from windows of uni- 
form size, and arranged in the same manner as those windows in the ex- 
terior walls of the wings. The guard or inspection room will receive ad- 
ditional light from circular windows placed above the great windows, and 
from a skylight in its ceiling. The various stories of the west wing will 
be lighted from windows arranged uniformly with those in the exterior 
walls of the wings. 

The exterior of the structure is entirely of Quincy granite, formed 
with split ashler in courses, with cornices, and other projecting portions 
hammered or dressed ; the remaining portions of the entire building, both 
inside and outside thereof, are of brick, iron, and stone, excepting the 
interior of the west wing, which are finished with wood. 

Designed by Louis Dwight and G. J. F. Bryant, Architects. 

Builders, Luther Munn, Joel Wheeler, Asa Swallow, Samuel Jepson, 
Charles W. Cummings, and Geo. W. Smith. 

Estimated Expense, 193,458 feet of land and filling up, $ 165,645, or 
about 82 cents per foot; foundation and building, $243,900; total cost 
$ 409,545. 



EYIE AND EAR INFIRMARY. 

This institution was established in 1824, and incorporated in 1827. It is 
intended exclusively for the poor, and no fees are permitted to be taken. 
The new building erected for its accommodation in 1849, is situated on 
Charles street, a short distance southerly of Cambridge bridge. It con- 
sists of a main building 67 feet front by 44 feet deep, and 40 feet 4 in. high, 
and two wings 25 feet front and 34 feet high, one 52 feet deep, and the oth- 
er 63 feet. The front of the principal building is embellished by stone 
dressings to all the windows, doors, and cornices, in Italian style. The 
wings retire from the front 11 feet, and are perfectly plain. In the base- 
ment are the kitchen, wash-room, laundry, refractory wards, baths, store- 
rooms, &;c. In the first story in the main building are rooms for the ma- 
tron and committee, and receiving and reading rooms ; in the wings are 
the male wards, with operating, apothecary, and bath rooms. In the sec- 
ond story are accommodations for the matron and private female wards. 
The building is heated by two furnaces, and provided with a thorough sys- 
tem of ventilation, and the whole surrounded by a spacious, airy ground, 
shut out from the street by a high brick wall. Architect, Edw. C. Cabot. 
Contractor, Jonathan Preston. Cost, land, $25,000; building, about 
$ 29,000 ; total, $ 54,000. 



NEW ATHEN.EUM. 



163 




THE NE"W ATHENJEUM. 

The above illustration is a view of the front elevation of the new build- 
ing erected for the Boston Athenaeum, on the southerly side of Beacon, 
between Bowdoin and Somerset streets. It is 114 feet in length; of ir- 
regular breadth, covering the entire space between the street and the Gran- 
ary Burying Ground ; and 60 feet in height. In the design of this building 
several objects were to be regarded : — 1st, a library of 40,000 volumes, 
with provision for increase ; 2d, suitable places for the exhibition of works 
of art ; and third, a museum for miscellaneous collections ; beside the 
usual offices for such a building. The want of unity of plan, logetiier 
with the extremely irregular form of the lot and the slightly disproportion- 
ate height of the stories, made the de.sign one of considerable difficulty, 
which was sought to be obviated in effect by presenting to the eye a suc- 
cession of horizontal lines from the base upwards toward the cornice. 
The elevation is in the later Italian style of architecture, and resembles 
in the general arrangement some of the works of Palladio, though some of 
the details belong to a still later style. The material is of Patterson ♦ee 
stone, known here as "Little Fall gray rock," the color of which is a 
light gray, slightly varying in different stones, and the texture considera- 



164 



NEW ATHEN.EUM. 



bly harder than the free stones in general use. The building is 10 feet 
back from the street, and the ground space in front is surrounded by a 
bronze lacquered iron balustrade, with stone coping. 

The basement story is constructed of solid masonry, supporting the 
first floor upon groined arches of brick : a room is here fitted up for the 
use of the janitor and his family. Here also are a furnace with flues, con- 
ducting the heat to all parts of the building ; rooms for fuel, for binding 
and packing books, apparatus for hoisting to the upper story, &c. 

The entrance to the building is into the first story, by a doorway 14 
feet high by 10 feet broad. It opens on a vestibule, or main entry, 32 by 
23 feet, which contains staircases ascending to the upper stories, and light- 
ed from the roof and large windows in front. From this vestibule, 
designed to be finished in beautiful style of architecture, doors open to 
all the rooms in tlie building. 








In the first story is a hall SO feet in length, designed for the Sculpture 
Gallery, entered through the vestibule directly opposite the front door. It 
iafcurrounded by a row of iron columns opposite each window pier, for 
supporting the floors above. Fitting into these columns above are still 
others supporting tlie third floor, thus making continuous supports to the 




J5 
O 

O 

"A 
O 
H 

o 

o 

a 

H 



NEW ATHEN.EUM. 16j 



floors of each slory, in addition to ilie walls. On the right of the vesti- 
bule are two apartments, designed for reading rooms, one in the front for 
newspapers, the other in the rear for other periodicals. On the left of the 
vestibule is the Trustees' room. All these apartments are as yet unfin- 
ished, but are intended to be in ai)propriate ornamental style. 

The second story is appropriated to the library. The main hall extends 
the entire length of the rear of the building, and is surrounded by an iron 
gallery, accessible by iron spiral staircases. It is divideil by an archway, 
one copartment displaying the books in cases lining the walls, the other in 
alcoves between the pillars. It is highly finished, in Italian style, with 
decorated ceiling. For advantages of light, air, retirement, and an open 
southern aspect, this hall can hardly be surpa.?scd. It contains over 
40,000 volumes. The foregoing is an interior view of this room. 

In front of this hall are two rooms ; one on the right designed for the li- 
brarian's room, the other on the left for miscellaneous collections, both to 
be finished like the library, with iron galleries and spiral iron staircases. 
They are capable of containing 30,000 volumes. 

The third story is designed for pictures, and is divided into four apart- 
ments. The side walls are but 13 feet high, so that no picture can be 
placed too high to be seen distinctly. The light is admitted to each 
apartment by a skylight, and transmitted through a horizontal ground 
glass window. 

The building is to be heated by a cast-iron steam furnace, requiring but 
one fire, and the hot air distributed and the various apartments ventilated 
by means of flues within the centre walls. The Cochituate water is car- 
ried throughout the building, which is furnished with water closets, and 
other conveniences connected therewith. Gas is also distributed through- 
out, and so arranged as to be applicable to the exhibition of works of art, 
as well as to ordinary purposes. 

In the year 1S43 the corporation purchased the library of General "Wash- 
ington, at a cost of upwards of $4,000. This sum was contributed by 
about one hundred gentlemen of Boston, Salem, and Cambridge ; seventy 
of whom subscribed fifty dollars each for this object. In the year I34G. 
theAthenreum realized the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars, the gift 
of the late John Bromfield, " three fourths of its annual income to be 
invested in the purchase of lx)oks. and the remainder to be added to the cap- 
ital." Mr. James Perkins gave for the use of the institution, in 1821, his 
own costly mansion in Pearl Street, which was occupied for library pur- 
poses until June, 1S19, and which was sold in February, 13-50, for the sum of 
8 4r),000. Mr. Thomas H. Perkins and Mr James Perkins, Jr. , in 1326 gave 
$3,000 each for the then library ; and $36,000 was afterwards sutecrilml 
by various citizens throueh the efforts and influence of Messrs. N. Bow- 
ditch, F. C. Gray, Geo. Ticknor. and Thomas W. Ward. The total Cost 
has been, for land $ r^r^.OOO : and for the building S 136,000. 



166 



THE NEW CUSTOM HOUSE. 




•«</f7»fii 



THE NEAV CUSTOM HOUSE. 

Situated at the head of the dock between Long and Central Wharves, 
fronts east on the dock, west on India street, and is in the form of a Greek 
Cross, the opposite sides and ends being alike. It is 140 feet long north 
and south, 75 feet wide at the ends, and 95 feet through the centre, (the 
porticos 67 feet long projecting 10 feet on each side,) and is from the side 
walk to the top of the entrance story floor 10 feet, 4 inches, to the top of 
principal story floor 26 feet 4 inches, to the eaves 52 feet, to the ridge 62 
feet 6 inches, and 95 feet to the top of the skylight of the dome. 

It is built on about 3,000 piles, fully secured against decay ; the con- 
struction throughout is fire proof and of the very best kind. 

The exterior of the building is purely Grecian Doric, not a copy, but 
adapted to the exigencies and peculiarities of the structure, and consists 
of a portico of 6 columns on each side, on a high flight of steps, and an 
order of engaged columns around the walls, 20 in number, on a high 
stylobate or basement ; the order of engaged columns terminating with 4 
antse at their intersection with the porticos. The columns are 5 feet 4 
inches in diameter and 32 feet high, the shaft being in one piece, each 
weighing about 42 tons. 

The roof of the building is covered with wrought granite tile, and the 
intersection of the cross is surmounted by a dome terminating in a sky- 
light 25 feet in diameter. The dome is also covered with granite tile. 

The cellar, which is 10 feet 6 inches high to the crown of the arches, is 
principally used for the storage of goods, which are conveyed to it through 
the basement story. The steam apparatus for warming the whole build- 



THE NEW CUSTOM HOUSE. 167 

ing (which it doea effectually) is eiluated in the cellar, having easy access 
10 the coal vaults under the sidewalk outside of the building. 

The principal entrances to the basement story are at each end. They 
are for the receipt of goods for storage. Near the northwest comer, on 
the west side, is an entrance to the Night Inspectors' apartments, also to 
the private staircase leading to the Collector's room and the attic. South 
of the west portico is the entrance to the heating-apparatus room, and on 
the south end is the entrance to the Custom House Truckmen's room. 
This story contains rooms for the Night Inspectors, Custom House Truck- 
men, and Engineer of the Heating Apparatus, also three sets of Water 
Closets : the remainder is used for the storage of goods, weigher's tubs. 
<fcc. 

The principal ingress to the entrance story, is through the porticos, but 
it can be entered from the Collector's private staircase, and from two oth- 
er private staircases from the basement. This story contains apartments 
and offices for the Assistant Treasurer, thp Weighers and Gaugers, the 
Measurers, Inspectors, Markers, Superintendent of Building, «fcc. In the 
centre is a large vestibule, from which two broad flights of steps lead to 
the principal story, landing in two smaller vestibules therein, lighted by 
skylights in the roof, and these vestibules communicate with all the apart- 
ments in this story. The several rooms are for the Collector, Assistant 
Collector, Naval Officer, Surveyor, Public Store Keeper, their Deputies 
and Clerks ; and for the facilities of doing business this arrangement is not 
surpassed. The grand, cross-shaped Rotunda, for the general business of 
the Collector's department, in the centre of this story, is finished in the 
Grecian Corinthian order; it is 63 feet in its greatest length, 59 feet wide, 
and 62 feet high to the skylight. 

The dominical ceiling is supported on 12 columns of marble, 3 feet in 
diameter and 29 feet high, with highly wrought capitals ; the ceiling is or- 
namented in a neat and chaste manner, and the skylight is filled with 
stained glass. 

The building wag commenced in 1837, and entirely completed in 1849 ; 
it has cost about $ 1,076,000, including the site, foundations, &c. It was 
designed by A. B. Young, A. M., Architect, and erected under his imme- 
diate supervision throughout. The execution of the whole was under the 
general direction of a Board of Commniissioners, appointed by the Secre- 
tary of the Treasury of the United States. Tliis Board consisted of Sam- 
uel S. Lewis, Esq., as chairman, Robert G. Shaw, Esq., disbursing agent 
and commissioner, and the Collector of the ports of Boston and Charles- 
town for the time being. Jonathan P. Robinson was Clerk to the Board 
of Commissioners. In one of the panels of the Rotunda is inserted a 
Tablet of marble, containing the following inscription : — 

" Boston Custom House Building. Authorized by the 2.3d Congress, 
A. D. I3-3.'). Andrew Jackson, President U. S. A. ; Levi Woodbury, Sec'y 



168 THE NEW COURT HOUSE. 

of the Treasury. — Opened August 1st, A. D. 1847. James K. Polk, Pres- 
ident U. S. A. ; Robert J. Walker, Sec'y of the Treasury ; Marcus Mor- 
ton, Collector of the Port ; Samuel S. Lewis, Robert G. Shaw, Commis- 
sioners ; Ammi Bumham Young, Architect." 



NEW CliUB HOUSE. 



The new Club House, situated on the northerly side of West street, is 
worthy of notice among the improvements of the city. It is 38 feet ir. 
front, 80 feet deep, and 52 feet high. The front elevation is built of Con- 
necticut freestone in Italian style, and combines great architectural beau- 
ty. The first story is occupied by two stores, and a central passage to the 
second story, in which is a lobby, reading room, and three parlors. In the 
third story is a hall 35 by 63 feet, and 22 feet high. 

Erected by an association of gentlemen. Architect, H. Billings. Build- 
ers, Masons, Messrs. Wheeler and Drake ; Carpenter, Chas. Dupee ; Esti- 
mated cost of land and building, $ 45,000. 



BOSTON SOCIETY OP NATURAIi HISTORY. 

This institution has recently purchased the estate in Mason street, 
formerly occupied by the Massachusetts Medical College, and remodelled 
the building to adapt it to its present purposes. It contains 9 rooms, one 
of which is occupied by the librarian, and each of the others by objects 
of interest in the different departments of natural history. The whole 
estate cost about $ 30,000, which was obtained by subscription from the 
liberal citizens of Boston. All who desire it have free access to the cabi- 
net every Wednesday, and strangers in the city, who cannot convenient- 
ly visit it on that day, can obtain admission at any time by application to 
an officer of the Society. Five volumes of the Boston Journal of Natural 
History, and three of the Proceedings of the Society at its Monthly Meet- 
ings, have been published, containing contributions from our most distin- 
guished naturalists, illustrated by engravings. 



THE NEW COURT HOUSE, ERECTED 1833 - 1835. 

The comer-stone of this building for the accommodation of the Courts 
)f Liw of Bouon was laid on the 2.Sth of September, 1833, Theodore Ly- 
mm beincr then Mayor of the city. The original cost of the undertakin? 



THE NEW COURT HOUSE. 



IC'J 



was about S 179.000, but a further sum of $ 17,000 was appropriated in 
lt)39 for llie purchase of laud for the formation of a street and passages 
around llie building, making the total cost of the ground and editice 
about S 200,000. A portion of the land, however, on which the structure 
stands was formerly the site of the old Jail and belonged to the County, 
and its value is not included in the above estimate. Tlie building is sit- 
uated in the centre of Court square, between Court and School streets, 
and is surrounded by a flagged pavement which extends southerly along 
the spacious area between it and the City Hall. The form of the edifice 
is that of a parallelogram, extending in length 176 feet by 64 feet in 
breadth. The altitude is 57 feet to the cornice, consisting of a basement 
and three stories : the first story above the basement being 12 feet, the 
second 20, and the third 18 feet in height. The material composing the 
building is of cut or hewn granite from the Quincy quarry, and at each 
front or extremity is a handsome portico of the Doric model, supiwrted by 
four columns of fluted granite each twenty-seven feet in height and four 
and a half feet in diameter. These pillars are in the solid ma^^s, and weigh 
about 25 tons each. The northern end or front of the building is parallel 
with Court street, but retired on a platform off the thoroughfare a few 
yards, while the southern front faces the rear of the City Hall or old Couri 
House, and is approached from School street through the latter building 
and by avenues on either side of it. The main body of the new Court 
House is simple and unadorned, but the massive symmetry and superior 
design of the front entrances, tend somewhat to relieve the general plain- 
ness of its architecture. The interior is plain and substantial, without 
presenting much novelty of plan in its construction. An entrance hall, 
communicating with the southern portico and opening upon side door.=; 
traverses nearly the full length of the building : and staircases ascending' 
to the right and left of the two porticos lead directly to the galleries of 
the principal Court rooms; while the centre and side flights conduct to the 
various apartments in the several stories. The first floor contains rooms for 
the Police Court and Justices Court, the United States Marslial's 
room, and the Offices of the Clerks of the Supreme Court, Court of Com 
mon Pleas, and Police Court. The second siory contains the rooms of 
the United States and the Supreme Judicial Courts, as also the Law Libra- 
ry, the rooms for the Judges of the United States and Supreme Courts, 
and the Clerk's office of the United States Court. The upper or third sK > 
ry includes the Common Pleas and IMunicipal Court rooms and the rooms 
of the Judges of those Courts, the Jury rooms of the several Courts, the 
Clerk's office and the witness rooms of the Municipal Court, and tlie Grand 
Jury room. The Court rooms are spacious, and comfortably furnished, 
measuring 50 feel by 40, and contain ample accommodation for the Bar 
and ordinary attendance. Some trifling disadvantages miiiihl be appre- 
hended to result from the location of the Court of Common Plo.is the 



170 THE NEW COURT HOUSE. 

general resort of litigants, in the upper story, but the arrangement of the 
rooms for the most part is satisfactory, and the offices for the respective 
apartments are as large and commodious as could be desired. The United 
Stales pay to the city for the use of their apartments in the building the 
annual rent of $3,000. The Court room allotted to them is the same 
from which the slave Shadrach was a short time since rescued. The 
United States Circuit Court before Judge Woodbury is held in this apart- 
ment on the 15th of May and October in each year, and the District 
Court before Judge Sprague on the 3d Tuesday in March, the 4th Tuesday 
in June, the 2d Tuesday in September, and 1st Tuesday in December, and 
specially at the discretion of the Judge. The Supreme Judicial Court sits 
at the South end of the building, for the hearing of legal arguments on the 
first Tuesday of March, and the term for the trial of Jury causes commen- 
ces on the 7th Tuesday next after the 4th Tuesday of September. The 
Common Pleas Court for the County of Suffolk are held in the Court room 
in the 3d story on the 1st Tuesday of January, April, July, and October, 
and the Municipal Court, of which the Justices of the Common Pleas are 
ex officio Judges, is held in the room appropriated for that purpose on the 
1st Monday of every month. The Police Court is busied every day in the 
trial of criminal ofTenders, and also sits every Wednesday and Saturday as 
a Justice's Court for determining civil causes under $ ^. The Social Law 
Library room on the 2d floor is a comfortable and well-lighted apartment, 
and contains a good selection of Juridical Text-books, including writers 
in general law, and the English and American Reports. The society was 
first organized in the year 1804. At a later date, 1814, an act of incorpo- 
ration was obtained which granted to the proprietors for the purpose of en- 
larging the collection all sums of money which should be paid by way of 
tax or excise by persons admitted to practice as Attorneys of the Boston 
Court of Common Pleas. For many years the Library, being but small, 
was kept in the office of a Member of the Bar who acted as Librarian, and 
subsequently it occupied a closet adjoining a large room in the old Court 
House then used for meetings of the Grand Jury. At a later period the 
whole room w^is devoted to the Library, to which when the present Court 
House was built a spacious apartment was appropriated, in which it has 
since been kept. A catalogue of the Library was printed in 1824. At that 
time the number of volumes was 1,473, in 1849 it had increased to 4,077, 
and in May, 1851, embraces about 4,200 volumes. A large number of the 
books, including some of the most valuable, were presented by the Hon. 
Charles Jackson ; but the Library is also indebted for donations to other gen- 
tlemen. The names of the donors are given under the titles of the works 
presented by them. The advantages of the Library are not confined to 
the Bar of Suffolk, but it is constantly and freely used by gentlemen of 
the profession from all the other counties in the State, by the Judges of 
the Courts, Members of the legislature and Judges and Jurists from all 



THE NEW COUJIT HOUSE. 



in 



A'^IEAV^ OP THE NEAV COURT HOUSE, 
COURT SCtUARE. 



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ERECTED 1833- 1835. 



172 NEW ALMSHOUSE ON DEER ISLAND. 

parts of the United States. The by-laws provide for the admission of 
new members on payment of $ 25 a share and $5 annual assessment, and 
admit also subscribers on payment of an annual sum of $ 8. But the 
members of the Bar of other Counties (except those who usually prac- 
tice at the Suffolk Bar) have the privilege of consulting the books of the 
Library at all times without expense. Each member is allowed to take 
from the Library one book at a time for a term not exceeding 2^1 hours, but 
no volumes are allowed to issue during the law term of the Supreme Judi- 
cial Court when the full bench is in session. The Librarian is appointed 
by the President and Trustees who have the general management of the 
affairs of the society and direct in the purchase of books, &c. Mr. 
Boyle is at present the Librarian. 



NKW almshouse: on DKER ISIiAND. 

The form of this structure is that of a " Latin Cross," having its four 
wings radiating at right angles from a "central building." The central 
building is four stories high ; the lower story (on a unif<irm level with the 
cellars or work-rooms of the north, east, and west wings) contains the 
bathing-rooms, cleansing-rooms, furnace, and fuel-rooms ; the two next sto- 
ries contain the general guard-room, to be used also as a work-room ; the 
next story is the chapel ; and the upper story is the hospital. The south 
wing is four stories high; the lower one contains the family kitchens and 
entry of the superintendent's family; the second is appropriated for the 
family parlors of the superintendent, and a room for the use of the direct- 
ors, together with the entrances and staircases, and the opening or carriage 
way, for receiving the paupers. The staircases communicating with the 
guard-room, and with the cleansing-rooms in the lower story of the central 
building, are also located in this story. The two remaining stories will 
be used for the family sleeping-rooms, superintendent's office, officers' 
rooms, and bathing-rooms, — together with the entries, passages, clo.sets, 
and staircases. Each of the north, east, and west wings is three stories 
high, with basements and attics over the whole surface of each wing. 
The basements are for work-rooms. The remaining stories, including the 
attics, contain the wards, hospitals, and day-rooms for the inmates, to- 
gether with the sleeping and inspection rooms foe the nurses and attend- 
ants. 

There are eight circular lowers attached to the exterior walls of the 
north, east, and west wings ; they contain the water-closets requisite for 
the inmates of the building; two of them contain staircases. The water- 
closets are placed on the level of every story, and entered immediately 
from the floors thereof, and are disconnected from the main building by a 



NEW ALMSHOUSE ON DEER ISLAND. 



173 



column of air passing through upright openings, in the exterior walls of 
the lowers, opposite to each other, and placed near the walls of the build- 
ing. 



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The dimensions of the J)uilding are as follows, in round numbers : The 
centre building is 75 feet square and 75 feet high, each perpendicular cor- 
ner being subtended by the section of a circle. The superintendent's 



174 



NEW ALMSHOUSE ON DEER ISLAND. 




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house, if the building faces the west, makes the west side of the centre 
building, except the circular comers, and is thrown out by these corners 
50 feet by 50 on the ground, and 50 feet high ; so that it stands almost as 
much separated from the main building as if it were entirely disconnected 
with it, and is still near enough for the convenience of the superintendent. 
The north wing, intended particularly for women, is 100 feet by 50, and 
50 feet high, i. e. twice as large as the superintendent's house. The south 
wing, intended particularly for men, is 100 feet by 50, and 50 feet high, 
the same dimensions as the north wing ; and hotli these wings are separ- 
ated from the superintendent's house, and thrown out from the centre 



NEW ALMSHOUSE ON DEER ISLAND. 



i: 



building, like the superinlendent's house, by the semi-circular coniera, for 
purposes of belter supervision and ventilation. The east wing, intended 
for the accommodation of different classes, and for different purposes, in 
the different stories, is 200 feet by 50. and 50 feet high, t. e. twice the di- 
mensions of the north and south wings, and four times the dimensions of 
the superinlendent's house. The north, east, and west wings have three 
stories, eacli 12 feet high, above the basement and beneath the attic. The 
attic is 9i feet high, and the basement 8^ feet high. The south wing is four 
finished stories high, and the flcwrs of these stories are unifomi with those 
of the three other wings. The circular towers attached to the exterior wall of 
the north, east, and west wings, are each 65 feet high and 13 feet in diameter. 

The proportions of the building are arithmetical : — tlie centre building 
is a cube 75 feet, with the corners subtended ; the superinlendent's house 
is a cube of 50 feet ; the north wing is two cubes of 50 feet each ; the 
south wing is two cubes of 50 feet each; and the east wing four cubes of 
50 feel each. 

The paupers, as they arrive, are received at a central point, under the eye 
of the superintendent, in his office, as they approach ; thoroughly cleaned, 
if necessary, in the basement central apartments for cleansing; and distrib- 
uted, when prepared for distribution, to those parts of tlie building as- 
signed to the classes to which they belong. 

There is a chapel, with a gallery, occupying 75 by 75 feet, on the third 
floor of the central building, equal in height to two stories. The floor of 
the chapel is on a level with the attic floors of the wings. It is well light- 
ed, in a central position, of convenient access from all parts of the estal>- 
lishment. and is commodious enough for those who are able to attend re- 
ligious worship, out of even a larger population tlian 1,200. 

Large folding-doors, or traversing-doors, are an original feature of this 
plan, and answer, by being opened wide, and by turning, in different di- 
rections, important ends, in making rooms for particular purposes, when 
they are wanted ; and when such rooms are not wanted, in being opened 
wide, or turned back, so as to leave tlie supervision unol)stnicted, and 
change the circulation of the air throughout the establishment. 

It is not absolutely a fire-proof building, but the roof is slated ; the floors 
are double, and laid with mortar between them : the ceilings under the 
floors and over the rooms consist of joists, and the botttoni of the lower 
side of the double floors; the walls are brick, built hollow, aivl without 
lath and pla-ster on the inside, or coverings of any kind on the ouusidc : 
the windows are wooden sashes, but they are set in a thick dotible brick 
wall, and may each of them burn withovit Inirning another. All the wings 
are separated from the centre building by thick brick walls, covered and 
secured, in all their openings, with iron doors and shutters, and rising above 
the roofs of the wings, so as to make a barracade against fire, behind which- 
the inmates of a win? on fire may retreat, and firemen may t>e protected. 




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FRI.NCIPLES OBSERVED IN THE PLANS. 



PRINCIPLES OBSERVED IN THE PLANS. 

Ill all the plaas of these buildings there are certain great principles ob- 
served, among which are the following : — 

1. Size. The size of these buildings allows from 600 to 1,000 cubic 
feet of space to each individual ; besides their proportion of space in the 
eating-rooms, school- rooms, hospital, and chapel. 

2. Proportiojis. The proportions are arithmetic and harmonic, a cube 
being their germ. 

3. Concentration. These buildings are all in the form of a cross, hav- 
ing four wings, united to a central octagonal building; one for the super- 
intendent and his family, and three of them for inmates ; the kitchen be- 
ing in the centre, in the 1st story of the octagon; the supervisor's room 
over the kitchen ; the chapel over the supervisor's room ; and the hospital 
over the chapel. 

4. Extension. The parts all radiating from a common centre, can be 
extended without disturbing the central arrangements and architectural 
design. 

5. Convenience. The keeper's or superintendent's office, eating-room, 
and sleeping-room are all in proximity to the great central octagonal 
building; so that the keeper hcis eyelets and ready access to the kitchen, 
supervisor's room, chapel, and hospital, and all the wings; and he can go 
through the establishment without going out of doors. The inmates re- 
ceive their food from a large central kitchen ; the wings are all under su- 
pervision from one central supervisor's room. The inmates assemble in 
the chapel and hospital from all the wings without exposure, and without 
leaving the house. 

6. Classification. The men and women, the old and young, the sick 
and well, can all be separated, in different wings, and different stories of 
the building ; and all these classes can be kept distinct by placing them in 
different wings, by the power of central observation and control. 

7. Supervision, outside arul inside. All the areas, apartments, win- 
dows, walls, galleries, staircases, fastenings, external yards, and external 
yard walls, except the space outside at the ends of the wings, are under su- 
pervision from the centre. One man can do more, in these buildings, in 
consequence of the facilities for supervision, than many men can do in 
some of the old establishments, containing an equal number of inmates. 

8. Security (igainsl Escape. In Prisons and Houses of Refuge, where 
security against escape is of great importance, the construction is such, 
that, if an inmate breaks out, he breaks in; — that is, if he escapes from 
his dormitory into the area, he has still another wall or grating to break, 
while at the same time he is in sight from the supervisor's room. There 
is, therefore, very little encouragement to try to escape from the dormito- 
ries. And if the inmate? are in the yards, gardens, or grounds around, 



178 PRINCIPLES OBSERVED IN THE PLANS. 

the supervision extends outside so easily and perfectly, that it affords 
great security against escape. 

9. Security against Jire. Although buildings according to these plans 
are not wholly fire proof, still, the cell floors being stone or iron, the walls 
brick or stone, the gailleries and staircases iron, the doors and gratings iron, 
the roof slate, and the gutters copper, much of the material is incombusti- 
ble. Besides, the separate rooms or dormitories are literally fire proof; 
and the remaining parts are extensively exposed to constant observation ; 
so that a fire, in its first beginning, is easily discovered and extinguished. 

10. Warming by steam, hot water, or tcarm. air. The construction 
of these buildings is favorable to either mode of warming. If by steam, 
the steam may be generated in the centre building, and distributed in one- 
inch wrought iron pipes, under the windows, in four rows of pipes, one 
above the other on the upright wall, three inches apart, to be inclosed in 
a box eighteen inches square, made by the floor for the bottom, the outer 
wadl for the back, a board cover for the top, and an upright board for the 
front ; the pure air to be received through orifices in the outer wall, and 
the warm air to be passed into the area, through orifices in the front of 
the box. If the heating is to be done by hot water, substitute a cast-iron 
pipe, 6 inches in diameter, near the floor, and near the wall, under the 
windows, within a box, similarly constructed to the box around the steam- 
pipes. 

If the heating is to be done by warm air, place in the centre building, 
and in the areas, the Boston School Stove, or, which are on the same prin- 
ciples, Chilson's furnaces, or any other heating apparatus which is, at the 
same time, a ventilating apparatus. 

11. Lighting. Gas light in the areas will light all the dormitories," and 
wherever distributed, will be easily supervised and controlled from the 
cetitre building. 

12. Sunlight. Care is taken in these buildings, to have a large surface 
exposed to the morning, noonday, and afternoon sun. This can be done 
with the large windows in the outer wall, but it cannot be done with a 
small window in each small dormitory or cell. Much more sunlight can 
be brought to shed its healthful and cheering influence, over the inmates 
of these buildings, than if the windows in the external wall were as small 
as they must be, if the rooms within were made of a small size and placed 
on the external wall. 

13. Artificial Ventilation. Each small room, dormitory, or cell is pro- 
vided with a ventilator, starting from the floor of the same, in the centre 
wall, and conducted, separate from every other, to the top of the block. 
where it is connected with a ventiduct, and either acted upon by heat or 
Emerson's ventilating cap. Both at the top and bottom of the room there 
is a slide, or register, over orifices, opening into this ventilator, which are 
capable of being opened or shut. These ventilators are intended to take 



PRINCIPLES OBSERVED IN THE PLANS. 179 

otf impure and lisht air. In the external wall are provided orifices, pitch- 
ing outward and downward, to take ofT carbonic acid gaa, which may be 
fatal to life, if allowed to accumulate in the lowest part of the building. 
The large rooms are provided with such orifices, by carrying every third 
or forth window to a level with the floor. These means are used to take 
otf the impure and light air, and the heavier and more fatal gases. To 
supply pure air, all the heating is made by ventilating apparatus. 

14. Natural Ventilation. Through the large windows, when opened, 
the air can have free course with all the varying winds, throughout the 
building, from north to south, from east to west, from south to north, 
and from west to east, and obliquely in every direction, according to the 
direction of the wind, through the octagonal centre building. 

15. Water for cleansing and bathing. For cleansing, water is let on 
in every room, and furnished liberally in every story : and in different 
parts of the building large means are provided for bathing. Nothing is 
more indispensable in the plans of such buildings, than convenient and 
liberal supplies of pure water for cleansing and bathing. 

16. Employment. Large provision is made, in all these buildings, of 
floors and space for employment, under cover, with good and sufficient 
light, convenience, and supervision. In many old buildings there has not 
been employment, because there was no place suitable for it. This diffi- 
culty has received great consideration, and every etfort has been made 
entirely to remove it, so that all the inmates of these buildings should be 
kept out of idleness, which is the mother of mischief Labor is favorable 
to order, discipline, instruction, reformation, health, and self-support. 
But there can be but little productive industry without a place for it. 
Suitable places have been provided in all these buildings, whether prisons, 
almshouses, or houses of refuge, for employment. 

17. Instruction. School-rooms, privilege-rooms, chapels, more pri- 
vate rooms and places, comfortably large single rooms, are provided, in 
which all kinds of good instruction can be given. 

18. Himuinity. The humanity of these buildings is seen in there be- 
ing sufiicient space, large light, abundant ventilation, and airing in sum- 
mer, good places of labor and instruction, and good hospital accommoJai ion 
for the sick. 

19. Care of the sick. The hospital is large, light, convenient, easily 
accessible, well warmed and well ventilated, so that if suitable care is not 
given to the sick it will not be because there is no place for it, no suitable 
hospital accommodations. 

20. Xotifying in sickness. The separate rooms are so located and dis- 
tributed, under supervision, from the centre building, that a gentle knock 
on the inner side of the door of each separate lodging-room will be heard 
by the person on duly in the central room for supervision and care ; and 
thus relief can be immediately secured ; or, in case of a fit, or swdtica and 



L-i.J 



MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL. 



violeiu attack, without consciousness, the sick person will in all probabili- 
ty be heard, from any separate dormitory in either wing, by the persoi:i on 
duly in the supervisor's room in the centre building. 

21. Level Floors. It is designed to have no stumbling place, in either 
building. But on the contrary, that the officers and inmates may walk 
over any part of the whole, by day or by night, on level floors. The stairs 
are the only places where it is impossible to make level floors. 

22. Economy. Great economy is used in these structures, in the finish, 
which is perfectly simple, unadorned, and substantial ; affording no harbor 
for vermin, no place of concealment for fire, and yet durable and decent. 

We have thus endeavored to give an outline of the principles which en 
ter into tltese structures, of their adaptation to the purposes for which they 
are erected, and of the importance of carrying out the designs according to 
the plans. 



MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAIi. 




'^mmm£/:^m^'!^^^!^^^^^^Wm^^^0^'i^^jrt 



This is one of the most noble institutions in the world. Its design was 
to afford the most relief to invalids, and as far as possible to reach the ne- 
cessities of every class of persons, the benefits of it to be administered to 
all who stand in need, at as low a rate as possible. There are two buildings 
under the control of the Corporation. 1st. The General Hospital in Bos- 
ton, as above delineated, and 2. The McLean Asylum for the Insane, loca- 
ted in the town of Somerville. 



MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL. 1^1 

Tlie lyiimsuchuiitlls General Huspilut vvaa iucorporaled February ^. 
1811 : and eaiiiled to an annual income not exceeding thirty thousand dol- 
lars, for the support and maintenance of a general hospital for sick and 
insane persons. The act granted to the hospital a fee simple in the estate 
of the old Province-House, on the condition that $ 100,000 should be raised 
by sub^^cription within ten years. Large donations for this purpose were 
made by 1(H7 persons in the year 1816, at which time the trustees pur- 
chased the lot oil which the McLean Asylum was built, then in Charles- 
lown. 

The Hospital building had a front of 163 feet, and a depth of 54 feet, with a 
portico of eight Ionic cohnnns, but was extensively enlarged in 1846. 

It was built of Chelmsford granite, the columns of their capitals being of 
the same material. In the centre of the two principal stories are the 
roams of the officers of the institution. Above these is the Ojierating 
T lieatre, which is lighted from tlie dome. The wings of the building are 
divided into wards and sick rooms. The staircase and floorings of the en- 
tries are of stone. The whole house is supplied with heat by air Hues 
from furnaces, and with water by pipes and a forciiig pump. The beauti- 
ful hills which surround Boston are seen from every part of the building, 
and the grounds on the southwest are washed by the waters of the 
bay. 

The premises have been improved by the planting of ornamental trees 
and shrubs, and the extension of the gravel walks for those patients whose 
he.ihh will admit of exercise in the open air. 

By the Act of June 12, 1817, it was provided that the stone to be furnish- 
ed for the building should be hammered and fitted for use by the convicts 
of the State Prison. By the act of February 21, 1813, establishing the 
i\I;issachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company, it was provided that the 
corporation should pay to the trustees of the General Hospital, for the use 
of the Hospital, the third part of its net profits. By the act of April 1, 
\~sio, establishing the New England IMutual Life Insurance Company, it 
was provided that one third of its net profits should be paid annually to 
the Hospital fund. A similar provision was adopted in the charter of the 
State Mutu;il Li f&. Assurance Company at Worcester, in March, 1844. 

By the last Annual Report of the Trustees of the General Hospital (Jan- 
uary 22, 1S51), it seems that its capital now yielding an income to the in- 
.sliiution is S 171^119. And that the income for tlie year 1850 was §33.- 
517, viz.: From properly of all kinds .9 16,917; Extra dividend of the 
Hospital Life Insurance Company $13,000; Subscriptions for free beds 
$2,100; and Surplus from the McLean Asylum $ 1,300. 

The expenses for the year were S 29,024, viz. : For stores $ 10,574 ; Wa- 
ges $7,891; Fuel $2,845; Medicine $2,355; Furniture $1,523; Re- 
pairs $l.-46.3. Salaries $1,S.'^0; Miscellaneous $523. The admissions to 
the hospital in ISoO were 746. viz. : — 



182 



MASSACHUSETTS GKNEXiAL HOSPITAL. 



Patients paying board . 

" paying part of the time 
" entirely free . 



Males. Females. Total 
201 41 242 

58 19 77 

183 244 427 



442 304 



746 



Of these, 269 paid $3; 32 paid $6; 14 paidS4; and 4 paid $10 per 
week. Total, 319. 

Proportion of deaths to the whole number of results, one in ten. 

Greatest number of patients at any visit in private rooms, 7 ; greate^i? 
number of paying patients, 33 ; of free patients, 103; greatest total, 136: 
least number in private rooms, 2 ; least paying, 1-5 : free, 68 : least total, 83. 

Number of accidents admitted during the year, 98. 

Average number of patients, 108. Males, 59; females, 49. 

Average number of paying patients, 11 American and 11 Foreign; to- 
tal, 22. 

Greatest number of paying patients, 16 American and 17 Foreign ; least 
number of paying patients, 8 American and 7 Foreign. 

Total males, 442. Of this number, 47 were in private rooms. 

Total females, 304. Of these, 5 were in' private rooms. A little over 
one third of the free patients were female domestics ; one sixth were male 
laborers, most of them foreigners. 

Average time of ward-paying patients is two weeks and six days ; and 
of free patients, six weeks. 

Proportion of ward beds occupied by free patients, a fraction less than 
three to one. 

The whole amount of board charged to all the patients, during the year, 
was S 17,186.49. Of this sum there was charged to the Trustees, for the 
board of free patients, S 12,960.22 ; and the balance, $ 4,226.27, has been 
received from paying patients. 

If the gross amount of the annual expenses be divided by the average 
number of patients, it will give $ 4.90 for the weekly expense of each pa 
tient. 

" The expenses of the Hospital for the year 1850 have been $ 29,024. Of 
this sum, only $4,226.27 has been received from paying patients, leaving 
a balance of nearly $25,000 to be drawn from the treasury of the Institu- 
tion. When it is considered that the income of our present capital fund 
must fall short of this demand, even under the most favorable circumstan- 
ces, to the extent of nearly $ 10,000, it will be readily yielded that we 
must continue year by year to depend upon the benevolent charity of the 
friends of our Institution for its progress and support." 

The Board of Trustees annually appoint two practitioners in Physic and 
two in Surgery, who constitute a board of Consultation. At the same 
time, they appoint six physicians, six surgeons, an admitting physician. 



McLEAN ASYLUM FOR THE INSANE. 183 

and a siiperiiiteadent of the Hospital. Applications for admission of pa- 
tients must be made at the Hospital in Allen Street, between 9 and 10 A. 
M., on each day of the week except Sunday. In urgent ca.se.s, however, 
application may be made at other times. Applications from the country 
may be made in writing, addressed to the admitting physician, and when 
a free bed is desired, a statement of the pecuniary circumstances of the 
patient must be made. During alternate terms of four months in each 
year, two physicians and two surgeons have the care of the patients. No 
visitors are admitted to the Hospital without a special permit from the of 
ficers or trustees. The patients may be visited by their friends daily be- 
tween 12 and 1 oxlock. 

Any individual siib.-?cribing one hundred dollars shall be entitled to a free 
bed at the hospital for one year. All subscriptions for this purpose com- 
mence on the 1st of January in each year. The whole number of free beds 
is never less than thirty seven. Two of these are reserved for cases of ac- 
cidents. 

The officers of the Institution for 1351 are as follows: William Apple- 
ton, president; Robert Hooper, vice-president ; Henry Andrews, treasurer: 
Marcus Morton, Jr., secretary; twelve trustees, and four physicians, who 
act as a Board of Consultation. Two of the trustees form a visiting com- 
mittee for a month, and thus by turns eauih member serves one month dur- 
ing the year. 

The McLean Asylum for the Insane. 

This Asylum for the Insane was opened to receive boarders, October I , 
1818, under the direction of the Trustees of the Massachusetts General 
Hospital, it being a branch of that Institution. It is situated in Somerville. 
about one mile from Boston, on a delightful eminence, and consists of an el- 
gant house for the Superintendent, with a wing at each end, handsomely 
constructed of brick, for the accommodation of the inmates. Though suf 
ficiently near to Boston for the convenience of the visitors and trustees, 
who generally reside in the city, it is not directly on any of its principal 
avenues, and is sufficiently retired to afford the quiet and rural serenity 
which in all cases is found to be conducive to a calm and healthy condition 
of mind. The name of McLean was given to this Hospital in respect to 
John Mcl/ean, Esq., a liberal Ijenefactor of the General Hospital. 

The number of patients in the house, on the first day of the year 1850, 
was one hundred and eighty-four ; ninety-five of whom were males, and 
eighty-nine females. During the year ISiiO, eighty males and ninety-three 
females were admitted, being one hundred and seventy-three. 

The following is the number of admissions, discharges, and results, since 
the Asylum has been under the management of Dr. Bell, the present phy- 
sician and superintendent. 



184 M.;LEAN ASYLUM FOR THE INSANE. 

iv;, i« Much im- „ . 

Whole n overt itn Remain- Average 

TT ij_-i. J Dis- number t-.- j j' T Recov- iii^ at nuniOer 

Year. Admitted, ^jj^^^^^j^ ^,.j^^ Died, p.^oved, not ^,.^j_ ^-^^^ ^^ 

"'^"- andm'fit. y^"'- Patienls. 

1837 120 105 191 8 25 72 86 80 

1838 138 131 224 12 45 74 93 95 

1839 132 117 225 10 38 69 108 112 

1840 155 138 263 13 50 75 125 123 

1841 157 141 233 11 55 75 142 135 

1842 129 138 271 15 43 80 133 143 

1843 127 126 260 18 45 63 134 131 

1844 158 140 292 19 49 63 152 146 

1845 119 120 271 13 33 74 151 149 

1846 148 126 299 9 52 65 173 164 

1847 170 170 343 33 50 87 173 172 

1848 143 155 316 23 50 82 155 171 

1849 161 137 321 15 58 64 184 177 

1850 173 157 357 28 51 78 200 201 



2030 1901 227 644 1026 

The Hon. William Appleton of Boston contributed $ 10,000 in Decem- 
ber, 1843, " for the purpose of affording aid to such patients in the McLean 
Asylum, as from straitened means might be compelled to leave the Institu- 
tion without a perfect cure." On the 9th of November, 1850, the same gen- 
man contributed the further sum of $ 20,000 for the purpose of erecting 
two additional edifices, sufficiently large to accommodate eight males and 
eight females, with such conveniences and facilities as shall enable each 
to have, not only the care, attention, and comforts, but the luxuries and re- 
tirement which they had enjoyed at home. 

The superintendent states that the elevation and improvement of the en- 
tire establishment have, as usual, not been overlooked during the past year. 
A large and handsome hall, fifty feet long by twenty -five wide and fourteen 
high, has been constructed, by raising a story upon one of the buildings 
of the male side, which furnishes ample room for two billiard tables, — 
ever an interesting and useful exercise for the insane ; and also makes a 
sort of conversation and reading room, where patients from the different 
sections may meet for some hours in the day for recreation and inter 
course. 

The expenses of the McLean Asylum for 1850 were $40,623, viz: For 
Stores $ 17,627 ; Wages $ 6,173 ; Salaries S 4,500 ; Furniture, Repairs, and 
Improvements $ 10,310; Diversions $1,332; Miscellaneous $2,335. From 
which deduct the proceeds of the farm and garden $ 1,704. 

It seems to be generally understood through the country that this insti- 
tution is the most safe as well as the most economical place of resort in all 



THE STATE HOISE. lis} 



difficult and dangerous cases, especially such as require operation ; one of 
the consequences of this general sentiment in regard to the Hospital, is, 
that many diseases are presented there which are in their nature incurable, 
— whence it has followed, that, as the reputation of the institution has in- 
cre;\sed, the number of cases reported incurable or not relieved has also in- 
creased. The patients, under the daily care of skilful, intelligent, and emi- 
nent surgeons and physicians, are watched over by faithful and attentive 
nurses, and in truth the minor officers and domestics, under the vigilant 
eye of the superintendent and matron, continue to give the sick poor all 
the comfort and relief, with all the chances of restoration, which the kind- 
ness of friends, or the influence of money, could command for those fa- 
vored with both. 



THE STATE HOUSE. 



This elegant and spacious edifice, situated in Boston, on elevated ground 
adjoining the Common, and near the centre of this ancient and flourishing 
city, was erected in 1795. The corner-stone was laid on the fourth of Ju- 
ly, by the venerable and patriotic Samuel Adams, then Chief Magistrate 
of Massachusetts (assisted by Paul Revere, Master of the Grand Lodge 
of Masons). He succeeded Governor Hancock, who died in October, 1793. 
Governor Adams made a short address on the occasion of laying the cor- 
ner-stone, and said, '• he trusted that within its walls liberty and the rights 
of man would be forever advocated and supported." The lot was pur- 
chased by the town of Boston of the heirs of Governor Hancock, for which 
the sum of $ 4.000 was paid. Tliejiuilding was not finished and occupied 
by the Legislature till January, 1798 ; when the members of the General 
Court walked in procession from therO,ld State House at the head of State 
Street, and the new edifice for the government was dedicated by solemn 
prayer to Almighty God. The Old State House, so called from the time of 
building the other, was long the place in which the General Court of the 
Province of Massachusetts was holden. It has lately been well repaired, 
and was formerly the place of the meetings of the city authorities and for 
public offices. 

The cornerstone of the present Capitol was brought to the spot by fif- 
teen white horses, at that time the number of States in the Union. The 
building is seen at a great distance in all directions, and is the principal 
object visible when the city is first seen by those who visit tt. The form 
is oblong, being one hundred and seventy-three feet in front, and sixty-one 
feet deep, or at the end. The height of the building, including the dome, 
is one hundred and ten feet ; and the foundation is about that hni^ht alxive 



1S6 THB STATE HOUSE. 



the level of the water of the bay. "It consists externally of a besement 
story twenty feet high, and a principal story thirty feet high. Tliis, in 
the centre of the front, is covered with an attic sixty feet wide, and twen- 
ty feet high, which is covered with a pediment. Immediately above arises 
the dome, fifty feet in diameter, and thirty in height ; the whole terminating 
with an elegant circular lantern, which supports a pine cone. The base- 
ment story is finished in a plain style on the wings, with square windows. 
Tlie centre is ninety-four feet in length, and formed of arches which pro- 
ject fourteen feel, and make a covered walk below, and support a colonnade 
of Corinthian columns of the same extent above. 

The largest room is in the centre, and in the second story (the large 
apace below in the basement story is directly under this) ; it is the Repre- 
sentatives' Chamber ; and will accommodate five hundred members; and 
sometimes they have been more numerous. The Senate Chamber is also 
in the second story and at the east end of the building, being sixty feet by 
fifty. At the west is a large room for the meetings of the Governor and 
the Executive Council ; with a convenient ante-chamber. 

The view from the top of the State House is very extensive and variega- 
ted ; perhaps nothing in the country is superior to it. To the east appears 
the bay and harbor of Boston, interspersed with beautiful islands ; and in 
the distance beyond, the wide extended ocean. To the north the eye is 
met by Charlestown, with its interesting and memorable heights, and the 
Navy Yard of the United States ; the towns of Chelsea, Maiden, and Med- 
ford, and other villages, and the natural forests mingling in the distant ho- 
rizon. To the west, is a fine view of the Charles river and a bay, the an- 
cient town of Cambridge, rendered venerable for the University, now- 
above two hundred years old; of the flourishing villages of Cambridge- 
port and East Cambridge, in the latter of which is a large glass manufac- 
turing establishment ; of the highly cultivated towns of Brighton, Brook- 
line, and Newton ; and to the south is Roxbury, which seems to be only a 
continuation of Boston, and which is rapidly increasing: .Dorchester, a 
fine, rich, agricultural town, with Milton and Quincy beyond, and still 
farther south, the Blue Hills, at the distance of eight or nine miles, which 
seem to bound the prospect. The Common, stretching and spreading in 
front of the Capitol, with its numerous walks and flourishing trees, where 
" the rich and the poor meet together," and the humblest have the proud 
consciousness that they are free, and in some respects (if virtuous), on a 
level with the learned and the opulent, — adds greatly to the whole scene. 

Near the Capitol, on the west, is the mansion house of the eminent patri- 
ot, the late John Hancock, now exhibiting quite an ancient^ppearance ; and 
on the east, about the same distance, was, until recently, situated the 
dwelling of the late James Bowdoin, another patriot of the Revolution, a 
distinguished scholar and philosopher; and who, by his firmness, in the 
critical period of 1786, contributed most efficiently to the preservation of j 



THE STATE HOUSE. 



lo; 




order and tranquillity in the Commonwealth. Large sums have been ex- 
pended in repairs on the State House, both within and without, since it 
was erected, and in improving the grounds and fences about it ; and it is 
now in a condition of great neatness and elegance. 

On the 12ih of June, 1827, the Legislature 
adopted a resolution "that permission bo 
hereby given to the trustees of the Washing- 
to'i IVTonument Association to erect, at their 
own expense, a suitable building on the north 
front of the State-House, for the reception 
;ind permanent location of the Statue of 
Washington by Chantrey.' 

The building was erected and the trustees 
passed a vote as follows: "The trtistees of 
said Association do confide and intrust, ais 
well tlie said edifice erected at their expense, 
as the noble statute, the work of the first ar- 
tist in Europe, to the care and patriotism of 
the government of the State of Massachu- 
setts, for the use and benefit of the people 
of said State to all future generations." 

In pursuance of which, a Resolve was 
passed on the 9th of January, 1823, " that the 
legislature of this Commonwealth accepts 
the Statue of Washington upon the terms 
and conditions on which it is offered by the 
Trustees of the Washington Monument As- 
sociation ; and entertains a just sense of 
the patriotic feeling of those individuals, 
who have done honor to the State by plac- 
ing in it a statue of the Man whose life was 
among the greatest of his country's blessings, 
and whose fame is her proudest inheritance." 

This statue was procured by private subscription, and was placed in the 
State-House in the year 1S2S. 

The costume is a military cloak, which displays the figure to advantage. 
The effect is imposing and good: but, instead of confining himself to a 
close delineation of features, the sculptor, like Canova, has allowed .some 
latitude to his genius in expressing his idea of the character of the subject. 
The lot on which the State-House was built was conveyed to the Com- 
monwealth by the town of Boston, on the 2d day of I\Iay, 1795. The 
Commissioners on the part of Boston to make this conveyance were Wil- 
liam Tudor, Charles Jarvis, John Coffin Jones, William Eustis, William 
Little. Thomas Dawes, Joseph Ru^-ell, Harrison Gray Otis, and Perry 



188 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCJETY. 

Morton. The ground is termed in the deed, the Governor's Pasture, or 
Governor Hancock's Pasture ; and the dimensions were slated as follows. 
Running eastwardly on Beacon Street, 543 feet 3 inches, thence northward- 
ly up a passage way to the summit 249 feet, thence westwardly to the 
northeast corner of the lot, 235 feet 3 inches, thence to the first corner 371 feel. 

The purchase money was " four thousand pounds lawful money." Tlie 
Commissioners or agents for the erection of the new Stale-House were 
named in the deed, viz. Thomas Dawes, Edward Hutchinson Robinson, and 
Charles Bulfinch. 

Owing to tlie present want of accommodation for the various public of 
fices, the State library, and for other purposes connected with the execu- 
tive and legislative departments, it is proposed to enlarge the building. 
Plans for this enlargement have been submitted to the legislature by Mr. 
Bryant, architect of Boston. 

The extension is proposed to consist of a building 4U feet wide and 5S 
long, 4 stories high, to be located back of the one story portion of the 
Stale House containing Washington's statue, and to extend from the rear 
wall of that portion back to Mount Vernon Street, to be built in style 
conforming to the present edifice. The lower story to be wholly above the 
surface of the sidewalk ; the second, on a level with the Doric hall or rotun- 
da of the present building, and to contain the library, statues, &c. The 
third story, on a level with the lower part of the Hall of Representatives, 
to contain two committee rooms, so arranged that they can be made into 
one by the removal of the partition at any time, as with folding doors. 
The fourth story to contain 4 committee rooms. There are two entrances 
proposed for the extension, one from Mount Vernon Street, another from 
the eastern side of the present rotunda, through the entry near the foot of 
the stairway leading to the cupola. Estimates prepared by competent 
mechanical judges make the cost to be about $ 15,000. 



THE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 

AND THE PROVIDENT INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS. 

Both these institutions have rooms in the Granite Building in Tremont 
Street, near the Stone Chapel. The house is owned jointly by the two 
Societies. 1. The Massachusetts Historical Society. 

In 1790. the Rev. Jeremy Belknap and four others agreed to form such 
an Association. On the 24th of the next January, they and five more were 
fully organized. Their main object was to collect manuscripts and books 
to illustrate the history of their own Republic. Their beginning was small 
but their progress however gradual, has been succesful. At present, the 
Society have about 7,000 printed volumes and over 200 volumes of man- 



.MA^iSACHU&KTia HISIOIUCAI. JSOCIIOI'V. 



Jo'.. 



uscripts. Tliey have had issued from the press. oO volumes of iheir Col- 
lections. Formerly it was their endeavor, more lluui now, to gather other 
relics of the past. Of these, the three following are aelecied. 




Carver Stcord. 

This is the memento of a worthy pilgrim. Il was owned by John 
Carver, wlio was among the most valuable men that left England and em- 
igrated to Holland, for the conscientious enjoyment of their religion. He 
was a prominent member of John Robinson's Church in Leyden. He took 
an active pari in obtaining the Patent, under which the settlers of New 
Plymouth came over. When these were intending to land and dwell on 
Cape Cod, his name headed the subscribers to the constitution, which they 
adopted for their civil government. They unanimously chose him as their 
lirst chief magistrate. As the guide of so small a commonwealth, sur- 
rounded by imminent perils, and especially by that of being destroyed by 
the adjaccnl natives, whose wrongs from some of the white race filled 
them with a thir-st for revenge upon the whole of them within their reach, 
he and his associates fell the need of arms to protect themselves and fami- 
lies. Hence the reason why his sturdy blade was not beat into a plough- 
share, but was worn by him as an instrument of defence. While ready to 
use it as he thought obligation might require, he was summoned, April. 
10)21. to enter on elei'nal realities, and, as we trust, on the reward of a 
faithful steward. ^y 

The desk delineated in this cut-- 
was long used by the .successive 
speakers of the liepresentatives of 
Massachusetts, in the old State 
Hou^e. It continued to be so em- 
ployed till the new eilifice of this 
name was prepared for the legis- 
lature, whose first session in the 
latter was January 11, 179S. The 
desk was then laid aside, as too 
antiquated for modern taste. But, 
well for its preservation, members 
of the Historical Society had an 
eye of favor towards il, for the ful- 
ness of its past u.sefulness. They ~- 
ohtained il. and ever since it has Speaker's desk, and Wivf;Ioir'sc/iair. 



rniimii , 




190 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 

held an honorable place. Were it endowed with speech, what thrilling 
tones of eloquence and what interesting facts could it repeat relative to 
the unwritten and forgotten proceedings of our colonial and provincial 
legislation ! 

The second article is a large oak chair, fitted for the patriarchal table 
around which it was often placed, "When our eyes behold it, we think of 
the many, once buoyant with the hopes of life, who rested upon it when fa- 
tigued, and were cheerfully refreshed from the hospitable board, and took 
part in the varied topics of social conversation, but who, long since, have 
gone the way of all the earth. Among these, was its worthy proprietor, 
Edward Winslow. The tradition is, that, made in London in 1614, it was 
brought over by him in the May-Flower among the effects of the first em- 
igrants to New Plymouth. After having sustained the highest offices of 
the colony with honor to himself and usefulness to others, he died Way 
8th, 1655, aged 61, in the service of the crown, as commissioner to super- 
intend an expedition of the English against the Spanish West Indies. The 
chair and desk are now both in a good state of preservation, and are well 
worthy the attention of the antiquary. 

This article of Indian antiquity awakens 
within us trains of thought, which partake 
more of sadness than of gayety. It carries 
us to the royal wigwam at Mount Hope in 
Rhode Island, introduces us to the family of 
its owner, busily occupied in satisfying 
their appetite with the corn and beans, 
which it often presented as the products 
of their own culture and preparation. Philip's Samp-pan. 

Around it, the joys of domestic intercourse, the expressions of affectionate 
hearts between children and parents, the gratulations of relatives and 
friends, abounded. But the crisis came, and the whole scene was convert- 
ed to utter desolation. The proprietor of such a relic was Philip, the 
Sachem of Pokanoket. the youngest son of Massasoit. He succeeded his 
brother, Alexander, 1657, renewed friendship with the English, 1662, and 
began a desolating warfare with them, 1675. His principal object appears 
to have been to arrest the progress of Christianity among his own people 
and other tribes, and thus prevent their assimilation to the principles and 
civilization of their European neighbors, and, as he feared, their final ex- 
tinction. After the exhibition of much physical and intellectual power, 
he was compelled to flee before the superior discipline of his opponents. 
He took refuge in secret places around his home. He was discovered and 
shot in a swamp, Aug. r2th, 1676. His head was cut off. placed on a pole, 
and shown publicly at Plymouth, as the punishment of a traitor. Thus 
fell one who was a hero in the estimation of his friends, while his foes de- 
nounced him as a powerful traitor. Though this difference may exist on 




BANKING INSTITUTIONS OF BOSTON. 



191 



earth, there ia a tribunal where all will receive accordine to their deserts. 
The right, whether of barbarous or civilized, will there be acknowledged, 
coutlrmed, and rewarded. 




Provident Institution/or Savings. 

The charter for this institution was granted on the 13th of December, 
1S16. lis first location was in the old Court House, then in Court street, 
afterwards in Scollay's buildings in Court street, and finally in the building 
erected for it and now occupied by the institution in Tremonl street, a few 
yards north of the Stone Chapel. 

The statistics of the Provident Institution for Savings indicate that it 
has been productive of great good to the community, and especially to the 
poorer classes, for whose benefit it was more esjKJcially intended. The 
amount deposited by customers during the last year (ending 30th June, 
13.51) was S 1,131,182, and the amount withdrawn was $957,536. The 
aggregate of deposits on the Isl day of July, 1351, was $ 3,916,026.50. 



BANKING INSTITUTIONS OP BOSTON. 

There are now (July, 1851) thirty Banks established in the city of Bos- 
ton, with an aggregate capital of S 21,760,000. Two others were chartered 
in the year 1851, which will probably commence operations during the 
present year. 

None of these are remarkable for their architectural beauty or display. 
The Suffolk Bank is the point of redemption for nearly all the bank circu- 
lation of New England. This institution redeemed, in the year 1350, 
$221,000,000, and during the first six months of 1851, S 120,700.000. 



192 



BANK OF COMMERCE. 



The accompanying engraving represents the front of the new Bank of 
Commerce on Slate street. The front is of Connecticut sandstone, and the 
style of architecture, Italian. The ground floor is occupied by Insurance 
Offices, and the second or principal story by the Bank of Commerce ; the 
upper stories are used as offices for different purposes. The builder of the 
above Bank was T. W. R. Emery, Esq., and the design was furnished by 
Charles E. Parker, architect. 




The Bank of Commerce, — Erected 1850. 

The building has a front on State Street of 27^ feet, and is four stories in 
height ; with a depth of 63 feet to Doane street. The Cashier's room, fac- 
ing State street, is 25 by 14 feet, and the main banking room back of it, 54 
by 25 feet. The banking rooms are all on the second floor. 

As a model for new bank buildings this is deserving an examination, be- 
cause it combines economy in space with ample light for the officers, ele 
gance of appearance, and many conveniences that are essential in the 
arrangement and construction of such an edifice. 



HANCOCK HOUSE. 



1'J3 




THE HANCOCK HOUSE, BEACON STREET. 

The annexed engraving exhibits a view of the mansion house of John 
Hancock, the celebrated governor of that name, and whose bold and manly 
signature is so much admired on the charter of our liberties. 

It is situated on the elevated ground in Beacon Street, fronting towards the 
south. The principal building is of hewn stone, " finished, not altogether 
in the modern style, nor yet in the ancient Gpthic taste." It is raised 
twelve or thirteen feet above the street ; and the ascent is through a gar- 
den, bordered with flowers and small trees. Fifty-six feet in breadth, the 
front terminates in two lofty stories. While occupied by Governor Han- 
cock, the east wing formed a spacious hall ; and the west wing was appro- 
priated to domestic purposes, — the whole embracing, with the stables, 
coacli-house, and other oflices, an extent of 220 feet. In tho^e days, there 
was a delightful garden behind the mansion, ascending gradually to the 
high lands in the rear. This spot was also handsomely emliellished with 
glacis, and a variety of exCellent fruit trees. From the summer-house, 
mieht be seen West Boston, Charlestown, and the north part of the town ; 
the Coilesres, the bridges of the Ciiarles and Mystic rivers, the ferry of Win- 
nisimmel, and ''tine country of that vicinity, to a great extent." The 
south and west views took in Roxbury, the highlands of Dorchester and 
Brookline, the blue hills of INIilton and Braintree, together with numerous 
larm-houses, verdant fields, and laughing valleys. Upon the east, the 
islands of the harbor, " from Castle William to the Light House, engaged 
the sichl by turns, which at last was lost in the ocean, or only bounded by 
the horizon." 

In front of this edifice is an extensive green, called " the Common," 
containing forty-eisht acres, where, in the Governor's time, " an hundred 
cows daily fo.l." It \v;is then Irindsumely raileil in, except on the \\>>-;i, 



194 HANCOCK HOUSE. 



where it was washed by the river Charles and the Back Bay. The mall, 
bordering the Common on the east, is ornamented with a triple row of 
trees ; and " hither the ladies and gentlemen resorted in summer,- to inhale 
those refreshing breezes which were wafted over the water." Upon days 
of election, and public festivity, this ground teemed, as it does now on 
similar occasions, with multitudes of every description; and here " the 
different military corps performed," as at the current day, " their stated 
exercise." 

Governor Hancock inherited this estate from his uncle, Thomas Han- 
cock, Esquire, who erected the building in 1737. At that period, the 
" court part of the town " was at the " north end," and his fellow citizens 
marvelled not a little that he should have selected, for a residence, such an 
unimproved spot as this then was. 

In the life-lime of that venerable gentleman, the doors of hospitality were 
opened to the stranger, the poor and distressed ; and annually, on the an- 
niversary of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, he entertained 
the Governor and Council, and most respectable personages, at his house. 
The like attentions were shown to the same military body by .Governor 
Hancock, who inherited all the urbanity, generous spirit, and virtues of 
his uncle. 

" In a word, if purity of air, extensive prospects, elegance and conven- 
ience united, are allowed to have cliamns," says one who wrote many 
years past, "this seat is scarcely exceeded by any in the Union." This 
statement, however, must be received with some qualification, in 1851. 
The premises are not entirely as they were. It is true, there is the same 
noble exterior, which the edifice possessed at its erection, nor have any 
important alterations been made in the interior. The greater part of the 
flower garden remains in front; nor do we know of a want of pure air, ele- 
gance, or convenience in the establishment. But the " stables and coach 
house " are not to be found ; and the " prospect," though still very beau- 
tiful, has been materially abridged by the adjacent buildings. 

The garden behind the mansion, glacis, fruit trees, and summer house 
have all disappeared. Even " the high lands," beyond, have been much 
reduced, to make room for public avenues and stately dwellings, in that 
part of the metropolis. Among the many private residences upon the 
grounds in the rear, may be named that of the Hon. Benjamin T. Pickman, 
formerly president of the Senate of Massachusetts. 

Every governor of the commonwealth, from the time of John Hancock 
to that of the present chief magistrate, has been lodged or entertained, 
more or less, in this hospitable mansion. Indeed, it has a celebrity in all 
parts of the country ; and most strangers, on visiting the capital of New 
England, endeavor to catch a glimpse of " the Hancock House." 

It is now, we believe, the property of some of the descendenls of Gover- 
nor Hancock, and rented as a private dwelling. But, as we have indica- 



BOSTON COMMON 19") 



led, since the demise of thai emine.il man, ilie hand of lime and improve- 
ment has been constantly contending around and asjainst it. It cannot lonq 
resist such attacks ; and, before many years elapse, this famous mansion 
will probably be razed to the ground, '' and its place supplied by others." 



BOSTON COMMON. 



Contains 48 acres. The iron fence is 5,932 feet in length, and cost up- 
wards of $ 100,000. 

The Common has many historical associations to attach it to the hearts 
if the people. From the earliest settlement of Boston, it attracted atten- 
lion, which has been incre;ising ever since. It has several times been in 
langer of invasion, but thanks to the wisdom which then preserved it, and 
which has since rendered it inaccessible. The example should be heeded 
by all bodies who legislate for the health and happiness of posterity. Had 
this delightful spot been sacrificed to satisfy the cravings of public or pri- 
vate cupidity, language would fail in attempting to describe the injury it 
wonld have inflicted upon the city, or the contempt that would have cov- 
ered the perpetrators of the deed. 

Anxiety, however, for the future welfare of the Common may well re- 
main unaroused, as under the auspices of the City Government it must re- 
ceive proper improvement. Much is now doing to render the place still 
more attractive. Great credit is due our worthy Mayor, for the etficiency 
which has been exhibited in improving it the present year. A superin- 
tendent has recently been appointed to take charge of it, whose efforts are 
giving it an additional beauty. Several years since, the ashes and dirt that 
were carted on the Mall were fotmd to operate against the healthy con- 
dition of the trees. Plantain weeds sprang up, also, to the great injury of 
the grass. This year, these evils have been remedied. The ashes have 
been removed, and about thirty loads of the plantain carried off. The con- 
sequence is. a healthier appearance among the trees, and a more luxuriant 
growth of grass. 

Its Early History. — Commissioners were appointed to dispose of un- 
occupied lands, in 1634, and were instructed to leave out portions for new 
c imers, and the/urther benefits of the toicn. Among this reserved ler^ j 
ritory was our present beautiful Common, which it is believed has always 
been public property. For many generations it served the double purpose ; 
of a training field and pasture, fir which it was laid out by the town, ac- 
cording to depositions of the then oldest inhabitants, taken before Gov. 
Bradstreet, in I6M. The city ordinance forbidding its use as a pasturage 
bi'ars the date of IS-'^ri. The late militia laws liave rendered its use. as a 



196 BOSTON COMMON. 



" training field," in a measure obsolete ; it is now used for the parades of 
our independent companies. 

Attempts to possess the Common have been made at different times. In 
one instance, a citizen petitioned for half an acre, for a building lot, but 
these attempts were all unsuccessful. We may be permitted to record an 
act which came very near making it private property. The proprietors of 
the Rope Walks, in 1795, had the misfortune to have their property 
burned. The town generously offered them that portion of the Conmion 
which is now the Public Garden, rent free, for rebuilding, which offer was 
accepted. In 1319, the rope walks were again destroyed by fire, and the 
owners proposed to cut the land into building lots and sell it. To this the 
citizens strongly objected, and so intense was public feeling upon the sub- 
ject, that it was left to referees, and as it appeared that the proprietors of 
the walks had ground for their claim, they were awarded the sum of $50.- 
000 to relinquish it, which the town authorities paid. 

A clause was inserted in the City Charter, making the Common public 
property for ever, and placing it beyond the power of the city to dispose 
of it. 

The Fence. — Previous to 1836 the Common was inclosed by a plain, 
unpretending, wooden post, three-rail fence. The present substantial iron 
fence was built at this date, and makes an imposing appearance. 

The Malls are wide, gravelled, and smooth, and are deemed the most de- 
lightful promenade grounds in the world. They are beautifully shaded by 
majestic elms and other trees, to the number of upwards of one thousand, 
some of which were planted over a hundred years ago. 

The time-honored elm still stands, the most significant and attractive of 
all, and crowds on all public days pay it a special visit. It has been 
strengthened by the aid of art, and it is inclosed by a fence to prevent its 
admirers from plucking a remembrancer from its rough exterior. By its 
side lies the frog-pond, but not the one of yore. Cochituate Lake now 
pours her glistening stream upon its rocky bed, and its waters leap and 
seem to laugh for joy that they have come to visit the far-famed garden 
of liberty. The wants of visitors have been anticipated, and, to give all 
the privilege of drinking the pure beverage, hydrants have been placed in 
different parts of the Common. 

In early times the name of " Crescent Pond " was given to this sheet of 
water, and it has been known as " Quincy Lake," but none have been in 
so common use as that of " Frog Pond," which now claims precedence 
only by custom. 

The grounds of the Common have been greatly improved the last year, 
under the superintendence of Mr. Sherburne. The paths have been re- 
gravelled, and the trees trimmed and washed with composition. Many of 
the young trees have had guards placed around them. The following is a 
list of the kind and number of trees. 



PUBLIC SQUARES. 197 



TREES. 

American Elms, . . . 664 Buitonwood, .... 1 



English Elms, 
Linden Trees, 
Tulip Trees, 
Oaks, 

Sycamores, 
Hemlock, 
Jingo, 
Slippery Elm, 



49 . Black Aspen, 



6S 
17 
8 
10 
1 
1 
1 



Black Ash 7 

White and Silver-leaf Maple, 70 

Rock Maple, ... 14 

Arbor Vilae, .... 20 

Fir Trees, .... 2:^0 

Spruce Trees, .... 69 



Total, 1255 

Of the above, 202 trees were set out in April and May, 1850. INIany of 
thu decayed trees were thoroughly repaired. For this purpose, 300 yards of 
duck and 40 barrels of composition were used. Fifteen l)arrels of compo- 
sition were used in filling up the hollow in the " Big Elm," near the pond. 
Forty loads of plantain and seventy-five loads of knot-weed were carried 
away, and twelve bushels of grass-.seed and eight bushels of oats were 
sown last seaison. There was also taken from Tremont Mall 6,104 loads 
of coal ashes, which were carried over to fill up near the Charles street 
Mall. Fifteen thousand and nine hundred bushels of Somerville gravel 
were used in improving Tremont and Charles street Malls. 

Iron Fences. — The Iron Fence around the Common has been thorough- 
ly cleaned, and 552 pounds of pales were put into it. Besides the iron 
fence, 8,1 10 feet of joist were used in stopping up paths made by persons in 
walking across the lots. 

Thei'e are on the Common 201 seats, of which 171 are wood, and thirty 
are stone. Of the wooden seats, 50 were put up and covered with zinc, 
in 1850; the remaining 121 are covered with sheet iron. 

Boston Neck. — On this beautiful avenue there are 240 American elm 
trees. 

Fort Hill. — At this place there are fifty American elms, five ash trees, 
and one rock maple ; all of which have been trimmed and washed. The 
fence has also been repaired. 

In Summer, Franklin, Cambridge, Charles, and other streets, the trees 
have been fixed up in good style, and they are now repaying us, by their 
vigorous appearance, for the attention bestowed upon them. 

PUBLIC SQUARES. 

A residence on the Neck is made more agreeable by the additional at- 
tractions derived from the beautiful public squares, completed and contem- 
plated at the South End. 

Blackstone Sqtiare contains 105,000 feet of land, and is handsomely or- 
namented with trees. The fence is about 1.300 feet in length, and cost 



198 MASSACHUSETTS BLIND ASYLUM. 

about $5,000, of which sum $2,000 was paid by the private subscription 
of the residents in the immediate neighborhood. There is a fountain in 
this square, which, exclusive of the pipe and vase, cost about $ 750. 

Franklin Square, in size, cost, and appearance, is similar to Blackstone 
Square. 

Chester Square, near Northampton and Tremont streets, contains 62,- 
000 feet of land, inclosed by an iron fence, 987 feet in length. The cost of 
the fence was nearly $ 4,000, and that of the fountain, complete, about 
$1,000. 

Union Park, previously known as Weston street, has been graded this 
season, and is handsomely laid out, between Suffolk and Tremont streets. 
It contains about 16,.500 feet of land, and will be appropriately ornamented 
with trees, walks, and a fountain. There are one hundred and eight house 
lots in the immediate vicinity of this square, which will soon be covered 
with neat and substantial buildings. 

Worcester Square, between Washington street and Harrison avenue, 
will be completed in a short time, and will resemble Union Park. 

The Square in front of Dr. Lowell's church, on Cambridge street, has 
been beautifully ornamented. The substantial iron fence is 369^ feet in 
length, which, together with the fountain and improvements, cost about 
$5,000. 



PERKINS INSTITUTION, AND MASSACHUSETTS 
ASYLUM FOR THE BLIND. 

In the year 1823, the late lamented Dr. J. D. Fisher called the attention 
of the people of Boston to the neglected condition of the Blind, and made 
an appeal in their behalf In consequence of this, several benevolent gen- 
tlemen associated themselves together, and in 1829 were incorporated by 
the name of the New England Asylum for the Blind. During several years 
various attempts were made to put a school in operation, but they were 
not successful until the year 1832, when Dr. Samuel G. Howe undertook its 
organization, and commenced the experiment of instructing six blind chil- 
dren. Before the experiment was concluded the funds were exhausted, 
but it was persevered in to the end of the year, and then an exhibition of 
the pupils was made before the legislature and the public, and an appeal 
was made for aid. This was promptly and generously met. The legisla- 
ture voted to make an annual grant of $ 6,000 ; the ladies raised $ 14,000 
by a Fair in FaneuilHall; contributions were raised in all the principal 
towns of the State, and finally Thomas H. Perkins offered his valuable man- 
sion house in Pearl street, provided the sum of $.50,000 should be secured 



MASSACHUSETTS BLIND ASYLUM. 199 

10 the funds of the iastituiion. The condition was accepted, and the lib- 
eral merchants of Boston made up all that was needed. 

Thus, as soon as it was proved that the hitherto neglected blind could he 
instructed, the public were called upon to provide the means. They did 
so, eagerly and generously ; and rapidly laid broad the foundation, and 
raised high the walls of an institution which will probably endure as long 
as blindness is inflicted upon the community. 

This institution may be considered as part of the Common School sys- 
tem of Massachusetts. All citizens having blind children may send them 
here and have them boarded and laught, not as a matter of charily, but of 
right. 

As soon as the success of the enterprise was insured at home, efforts 
were made to extend the blessings of the system to the blind of the coun- 
try generally, and the Director with his pupils visited thirteen other States, 
and exhibited their acquirements. In consequence of this, the legislatures 
i)f all the New England States, and of South Carolina, made liberal appro- 
priations for sending their blind to the new school; and the foundations 
were laid in Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia, for what are now large and 
flourishing institutions for the blind, — New York and Pennsylvania hav- 
ing in the mean time moved of their own accord. 

The readiness and eagerness with which the public came forward in an- 
swer to the appeal in behalf of the blind is creditable to the age and to the 
country. 

The pupils in the School are taught reading, writing, arithmetic, geog- 
raphy, history, natural philosophy, natural history, and physiology. They 
are carefully instructed in the theory and practice of vocal and in.-5tnmien- 
tal music. Besides this they are taught some handicraft work by which 
they may earn their livelihood. In this institution, for the first time in 
the world's history, successful attempts were made to break through the 
double walls in which Blind-Deaf-Mutes are immured, and to teach them 
a systematic language for communion with their fellow men. Laura 
Bridgman and Oliver Caswell are living refutations of the legal and popu- 
lar maxim that those who are born both deaf and blind must be necessari- 
ly idiotic. They are pioneers in the way out into the light of knowledge, 
which may be followed by many others. 

In 1844 a supplementary institution grew out of the parent one, for the 
employment in handicraft work of such blind men and women as could 
not readily find employment at home. 

This establishment has been highly successful. A spacious and conven- 
ient workshop has t)een built at South Boston, to which the workmen and 
women repair every day and are furnished with work, and paid all they 
can earn. 

The general course and history of the Perkins Institution has been one 
of remarkable success. It has always tieen under the direction of one per- 



200 



MASSACHUSETTS BLIND ASYLUM. 



son. It has grown steadily in public favor, and is the means of extended 
usefulness. In 1832 it was an experiment ; it had but six pupils ; it was 
in debt ; and was regarded as a visionary enterprise. In 1833 it was taken 
under the patronage of the State ; it was patronized by the wealthy, and 
enabled to obtain a permanent local habitation and a name. 

In 18:34, it had 34 pupils from Massachusetts, New York, New Hamp- 
shire, Connecticut, Ohio, and Virginia. The number has steadily grown up 
to 110; the greatest number ever in the institution at once. The pupils 
remain from 5 to 7 years, and are discharged. The average number is 100. 




Perkins Institution, South Boston. 

The building originally conveyed to the trustees by Col. T. H. Perkins 
for the uses of the Asylum, in the year 1833, was afterwards exchanged for 
the present building on Mount Washington, South Boston. This latter 
property includes about one acre of ground. 



MASSACHUSETTS BLIND ASVLUM. 201 

The terms of admission are as follows : the children of citizens of Mas- 
sachusetts, not absolutely wealthy, free; others, at the rate of $160 a 
] year, which covers all expenses except for clothing. Applicants mvist be 
; uruier 16 years of age. Adults are not received into the institution proper. 
! but they can board in the neighborhood, and be taught trades in the work- 
I shop gratuitously. After six months they are put upon wages. 
i This department is a self-supporting one, but its success depends upon 
' the sale of goods, at the depot No. 20 Bromfield street. Here may be found 
I the work of the blind ; all warranted, and put at the lowest market pri- 
I ces ; nothing being asked or expected in the way of charily. The institu- 
tion is not rich, except in the confidence of the public, and the patronage 
I of the legislature. 

I It id open to the public on the afternoon of the first Saturday in each 
I month, but in order to prevent a crowd, no persons aure admitted without a 
ticket, which may be obtained gratuitously at No. 20 Bromfield street. 
A limited number of strangers, and persons particularly interested, may be 
admitted any Saturday in the forenoon, by previously applying as above 
for tickets. 

The number of pupils entered in the institution, up to 1851, has been sev- 
eral hundred. 
The Asylum is yearly in receipt of $ 9.000 from the State. 
Articles manufactured by the Blind and kept constantly for sale at the 
sales-rooms. No. 20 Bromfield street : — Mattresses, of all sizes, of superi- 
or and common South American hair, Cocoanut Fibre, Cotton, Moss, 
Cornstalk, Palmleaf. Straw, &c. ; Improved spiral-spring Mattresses, Palm- 
leaf Palliasses, and Cushions of all kinds, made to order. Beds, of live 
geese and Russia feathers : the feathers are cleansed by steam. Comforters, 
of all sizes, wadded with cotton or wool, Sheets and Pillow Cases, Bed 
Ticks. Crash, Diaper, and Damask Towels, from Si to $4 per dozen. 
Satchels and Travelling Bags, of all sizes. Entry Mats, Fine woven Mats 
of Cocoanut Fibre, with colored worsted bodies, equal to imported goods, 
and at less prices. Very heavy Woven IVIats tor public buildings. Also. 
IManilla, Jute, Palmleaf, and open-work Fibre Mats, of various qualities 
and prices. Sofas and Chairs rejjai red and restuffed, and Cane Chairs re- 
seated. Particular attention given to making over, cleansing, and refitting 
old mattresses and feather beds. Mr. J. W. Patten is agent for the sale 
of these articles, at No. 20 Bromfield street. 

The asylum realized, in the year 1S47, the handsome sum of $ 30,000. by 
the will of the late William Oliver of Boston. 

The experience of the officers of the institution has induced the convic- 
tions, — 1. That the blind, as a class, are inferior to other persons in mental 
power and ability; and 2. That blindness, or a strong constitutional ten- 
dency to it, is very often hereditary. The Superintendent says, — " I believe 
that a seneral knowledire of the existence of this stern and inexorable law 



202 MASSACHUSETTS BLIND ASYLUM. 

will do more to diminish llie number of infirmities with which the human 
race is afflicted than any thing else can do. 

"The experience of many years, an acquaintance with several hundreds 
of blind persons, and much personal inquiry, have convinced me that 
when children are born blind, or when they become blind early in life, in 
consequence of diseases which do not usually destroy the sight, the pre- 
disposing cause can be traced to the progenitors in almost all cases. 
Moreover, I believe, that, where the predisposing cause cannot be so 
traced, it is only in consequence of our ignorance, and not Ijecause there 
are exceptions to the rule. 

" The hereditary tendency to disease among the progeny of persons relat- 
ed by blood, or of scrofulous or intemperate persons, or of persons whose 
physical condition is vitiated in various ways, is not seen at once, and may 
be entirely overlooked, for various reasons. In the first place, there may 
be only a strong tendency or predisposition to some infirmity, as blind- 
ness, deafness, insanity, idiocy, &c., which ia not developed without some 
immediate exciting caiise." 

The two blind mutes, Laura Bridgman and Oliver Caswell, whose in- 
struction was of course entirely different from that of the other pupils, have 
made very satisfactory progress. They each of them required special 
care, and the almost undivided attention of a teacher. They continue to 
b3 most interesting persons in their way ; and would be distinguished any- 
where, among youth with all their senses, for their happiness, gentleness, 
aifection, and truthfulness. 

Among the books published by this institution for the use of the blind 
are the following: The Bible, Lardner's Universal History, Howe's Geog- 
raphy and Atlas, The English Reader, two parts. The Pilgrim's Progress, 
Life of Melancthon, Constitution of the United States, Political Class 
Book, Principles of Arithmetic, Natural Philosophy and Natural History, 
Book of Common Prayer, Tables of Logarithms. The entire number of 
volumes issued, up to 1846, was forty-one. 

If a fund could be established which would yield a regular and perma- 
nent income of $2,500, it would secure to nearly fifty blind persons the 
means of supporting themselves independently of any other aid. Such a 
fund would in reality constitute an independent establishment, and might 
be made useful through coming generations. 

The number of inmates reported on the first of January, 1850, was one 
hundred and two. Of these, fourteen have left, while twenty-one new 
ones have entered, so that the present number (January 13, 1851) is one 
hundred and nine. This is the largest number ever connected with the in- 
stitution at one time. 

Eighty -three are connected with the school, and are for the most part of 
tender age. Twenty-six are adults belonging to the work department, 
most of whom were formerly pupils in the school. 



THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF BOSTON. 

BY ISAAC F. SHEPARD. 



The Company who settled in Boston in June, 1630, under Winthrop, 
were most of tiieni men of sound learning, far-sighted vision, and noble 
spirit. Stern as were their religious views, their sentiments upon politi- 
cal prosperity were sound and healthy ; and the deep foundations which 
they laid for social and public happiness are truly wonderful. With the 
Bible for a basis, they erected a fabric of intelligence and learning, which 
is, at lhi.s day, the glory of their descendants, and the crowning excel- 
lence of entire New England. It has, indeed, been the pride of each sub- 
sequent generation, not to deface nor mar the walls of our fathers' build- 
ing, but to beautify, perfect, and adorn them, extending their area, and 
elevating their towers of grandeur in all strength and fair proportion. 
Hence it is, that tlie religious element of our character has ever been 
eclipsed by the intelligence, knowledge, and sound wisdom of the people 
at large. Almost at the moment of landing, they began to teach the chil- 
dren; and as early as April 13, 163-5, the Records give ample evidence of 
the establishment of a " Free School," — and from that hour to the pres- 
ent have tlie inhabitants of Boston cherished and fostered these invalua- 
ble institutions, — so that the history of the Boston Schools is, in a good 
degree, the history of the people themselves. 

The generous public spirit of our citizens, proverbial as it is, shows in 
nothing so conspicuously as in the support of schools. The Masters of 
the Latin and English High Schools, have a salary of $2,400 each, per 
annum; the Sub-Masters of both schools have $1,500 each, and the 
Ushers have §800 for the first year of service, with an annual increase 
of $ 100 for each additional year of service until the salary amounts to 
$ 1,200, at which sum it remains fixed. All the Grammar and Writing 
Masters have 8 1,500 per annum; all Sub-Masters in the Grammar 
Schools 8 1 ,000 ; all Ushers S SOO ; all Head Assistants $ 400, and all 
other Assistants $300 each. The Teachers of all Primary Schools re- 
ceive each $300 per annum, with $ 2.) extra allowance for the care of 
iheir rooms. Tlie Teachers of Music receive $ 100 per annum, for ser- 
vices and the use of a piano forte. 

Few people are aware that the vast sums spent each year in the city of 
Boston, for public instruction, — larger than in all Great Britain, — are 



204 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN BOSTON. 



almost entirely a voluntary offering. The laws of the Cominonweallh, 
even as early as 1647, do, indeed, require the support of public schools in 
all the towns within its jurisdiction; but a single school will meet the 
demands of the law in most towns ; and in our large city itself, but three 
schools and three teachers would meet the intent of the statute. Two of 
these must be teachers "competent to instruct children in Orthography, 
Reading, Writing, English Grammar, Arithmetic, and good behavior" ; 
and the other must be " a master of competent ability and good morals, 
who shall, in addition to the branches of learning before mentioned, give 
instruction in the History of the United States, Book-keeping, Surveying, 
Geometry, and Algebra; the Latin and Greek Languages, General Histo- 
ry, Rhetoric, and Logic." These three teachers might cost the city, at 
the present rate of salaries, $ 4,500, with the expense of interest for 
houses added ; in all, perhaps, $ 7,000. Instead, however, of being satis- 
fied to fulfil the letter of the excellent law, our citizens take pride in 
supporting a Latin School, an English High School, twenty-two Gram- 
mar Schools, and one hundred and eighty-eight Primary Schools, with a 
corps of three hundred and seventy teachers, whose combined salaries 
amount to $ 175,100! Add to this, perhaps. $ 1,000,000 vested in school- 
houses, besides apparatus and incidental expenses of fuel, superintend- 
ents, and et ceteras, and the sacrifice of property, for the good of future 
generations, stands forth without a parallel, probably, in the world's his- 
tory. 

The present school system of Boston is nearly complete, and almost 
perfect. Until the year 1792, the selectmen of the town had the entire 
charge of the schools, and all matters pertaining to them. At that time 
there was but six schools, — the North Reading, and the North Writing 
Schools, the Centre Reading, and the Centre Writing Schools, the South 
Reading, and the South Writing Schools. On the I2th day of March in 
that year, " al a meeting of the freeholders and other inhabitants of the 
town of Boston, duly qualified and legally warned, in public Town Meet- 
ing assembled in Faneuil Hall, the article in the warrant, viz. 'To 
choose a School Committee,' was read," and on motion it was "voted. 
that in addition to the Selectmen, twelve persons shall now be chosen." 
1 In accordance with the vote, Hon. Thomas Dawes, Rev. Samuel West, 
Rev. John Lothrop, Rev. James Freeman, John C. Jones, Esq., Dr. Thom- 
as Welch, Dr. Nathaniel Appleton, Jonathan Mason, Jr., Esq., Dr. Aaron 
Dexter, Christopher Gore, Esq., George R. Minot, Esq., and William Tu 
i dor, Esq., were chosen by ballot. These gentlemen, with the Selectmen, 
} constituted the first legitimate School Committee in the town, and ever 
since this Board have had their election direct from the people. At pres- 
ent, by a special enactment by the Legislature, in 1835, twenty-four per- 
sons are annually elected to this office, two from each ward of the city, 
who with the Mayor and the President of the Common Council, consti- 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN BOSTON. 20> 

lule the School Commiilee, and have the superiiUeudeiice of all the I'ublic 
Schools. 

The first meeting of the Board is required to be held early in January, 
and the Mayor is ex officio, Chairman. A visiting Committee for each 
school, consisting of five for the Latin and English High Schools, respec- 
tively, and three for each of the other Schools; a Committee on Books, 
consisting of five members ; a Committee of INIusic ; a Committee of Con- 
ference with the Primary School Committee; and a Committee on the 
erection, alteration, and ventilation of School-Houses, of three member.- 
each, are appointed by the Chair, subject to tlie approval of the Bnard 
Stated quarterly meetings are held at the room of the Common Council, 
on the first Wednesday of February, May, August, and November. The 
subcommittee are required to examine the individual schools at least once 
in each quarter of the year, and to visit them not less than once each 
month, without previous notice to the instructors. Reports of these ex- 
aminations must be made in writing, at the quarterly meetings, together 
with all circumstances of note appertaining to the schools. The appoint- 
ments of instructors take place annually, in August, — the masters by 
ballot, — the salaries are then fixed and voted, and no change in amount 
can be made at any other time. The teachers all hold ollice for one year, 
unless sooner removed by vote of the Board, and no longer except by re- 
election. At the May meeting two examining committees are annually 
appointed, of three members each; one for the English Grammar Schools, 
and one for the Writing Schools. In May, June, or July, these commit 
tees must critically examine the pupils of the first class in all the studies 
prescribed for the first, second, and third classes, in order to ascertain the 
conilition of the schools, and report before the election of masters, that 
the appointments may be judiciously made. Similar examinations, and 
for similar purposes, are also made by the Visiting Committees of the 
^Lalin and English High Schools, and these Reports, after being accepted, 
are printed and distributed among the citizens, one copy to each family. 

The laws of the Commonwealth provide that " no youth shall be sent 
to the Grammar Schools, unless they shall have learned, in some other 
school, or in some other way, to read the English language, by spcUing 
the same." This law excluded from the benefits of public instruction a 
larse number of children whose parents were unable to pay for their tui- 
tion in private schools ; but it was not till 1318, that any provision was 
m<ide for remedying the evil. At a legal meeting of the inhabitants o! 
the town of Boston, assembled in Faneuil Hall. June II, 1818, notified for 
the purpose of considering the subject of establishing Primary Schools, 
the foUosving vote was passed, and $ 5,000 appropriated for the first year's 
sup[X)rt of these schools. 

" Voled, That the School Committee be instructed, in the month of 
June, annually, to nominate and appoint three gentlemen in each ward. 



^'IG PUDLIC SCHOOLS IN BOSTON. 

whose duty collectively, shall be to provide instruction for children be- 
tween four and seven years of age, and apportion the expenses among the 
several Schools." 

In accordance with this Vote of the Tovm, the original Committee for 
Primary Schools was appointed ; and from year to year it has been con- 
tinued, and the number enlarged. It is now one of the standing regula- 
tions of the Grammar School Board, to appoint annually, in January, a 
suitable number of gentlemen, whose duty shall be to provide instruction 
for children between four and seven years of age, by means of the Prima- 
ry Schools. The Committee of these Schools are authorized to organize 
their body and regulate their proceedings, as they may deem most conve- 
nient ; to fill all vacancies which may occur in the same during the year, 
and to remove members at their discretion. 

It having been found that there were many children in the City, who 
were old enough to attend the Grammar Schools, but who could not read 
well enough to be admitted there, application was made to the City Gov- 
ernment, at an early period, for the establishment of Schools for this neg- 
lected class of our population. But it was not till 1838 that any provision 
was made for their instruction. In March of that year, an Order was 
passed by the City Council, which, in December, 1846, was amended as 
follows: — 

" Ordered, That the Primary School Committee he, and they are hereby 
authorized to admit into one or more Schools, to be by them selected, in 
each of the school Districts, any child who is more than seven years of 
age, and is not qualified for admission into the Gramm.ar Schools." 

These last are called Intermediate Schools, and are the last link in the 
chain of public instruction. The system, then, may be summed up as 
follows : — 

First. The Primary Schools, — each taught by one female teacher. 
elected annually, in July, by the District Committees. These Schools re- 
ceive all applicants between four and eight years of age. Here are taught 
the Lord's Prayer and Ten Commandments, Reading, Spelling, the use of 
the Slate, the first principles of Arithmetic, and plain sewing, at discre- 
tion. At eight years of age, every scholar, if deemed qualified, receives 
a certificate of transfer to the Grammar Schools. Transfers may take 
place on the first Monday of any month, when deemed necessary, but the 
regular time for them is eemi-annually, on the first Monday in March, 
and at the time of the July vacation. Monthly, quarterly, and yearly ex- 
aminations are obligatory upon the different committees, — the last by the 
Executive Committee in the first two weeks of May. The Intermediate 
Sc/iools, for the special instruction of children over eight years of age not 
qualified for the Grammar Schools, belong under the Primary organization. 

Second. The English Grammar and Writing Schools, — taught hy 
Masters, Ushers, and female Assistants. These receive all children who 



PUBLIC SCHOOI-S IN BOSTON. 



apply and " can read easy prose," at the age of eight years, and chil- 
dren only seven may be admitted, '' when they shall satisfactorily appear, 
on examination by the Grammar Master, to be other\vi.se qualified fir 
admission." New pupils can be admitted on the first Monday of the 
Calendar month.'i only ; but transfers from one Grammer School to another 
can be made at all times. If the applicant does not come from a Primary, 
or anotlier Grammar School, he must bring a certificate from a pliysician 
as evidence of his previous vaccination. Boys retain their places in these 
S!:hools until the next annual exhibition after they are fourteen, and girls un- 
til after they are sixteen years of age. Special leave from the Sub-Commit- 
tee may, however, be given for longer attendance. In these Schools are 
taught, chiefly. Spelling. Reading, English Grammar, Geography, History, 
Writing, Arithmetic, Algebra, Natural Philosophy and Drawing. Geom- 
etry, Physiology, and Natural History, are, however, allowed, and Vocal 
Music is taught by a Professor, semi-weekly. Every school is furnished 
with a set of philosophical apparatus, globes, outline maps, a pianoforte, 
and all other desirable aids to the complete illustration of the subjects 
taught. The departments are subdivided into four grades or classes, with 
prescribed text-books and courses of study to each, and no pupil is allowed 
to attend without a full supply of the former. In addition to the above 
studies, Vocal Music is taught in all the Grammar Schools, twice each 
week, by a teacher specially employed. 

Third. The English High School, — under the chau-ge of a Master, 
Sub-Master, and so many assistants as shall give one instructor to every 
thirty-five pupils. Boys only are admitted to this school, and candidates 
must be at le;ist twelve years old, and can remain members of the school 
only three years. This school was instituted with the design of furnish- 
ing a complete English Education to those young men of the city not in- 
tended for a collegiate course. Instruction is given in the elements of 
Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, with their application to the scien- 
ces and the arts, in Grammar, Rhetoric, and Belles Lettres, in Moral Phi- 
losophy, in History, Natural and Civil, and in the French Language. 
This institution is furnished with a valuable mathematical and philosoph- 
ical apparatus, and a fine telescope. E.xaminations for admission can be 
made only once a year, — on the Thursday and Friday next succeeding the 
exhibition of the school in July. 

The Fourth and last grade in the system of Public Instruction is the 
Latin Grammar School. The instructors are the same in numlier and 
rank as the High School, and like the la.-?t must have been educated at 
3ome respectable College. The rudiments of the Latin and Greek Lan- 
guages are taught, and Scholars are fully qualified for any College. In- 
struction is also given in Mathematics, History, Declamation, and English 
Composition. The qualifications and the time for admission are the same 
as with the Hiqh School, and the regular course of instruction continues 



208 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN BOSTON. 



five years. Special permission may, however, be given for longer attend- 
ance. 

Thus have we given a pretty full, and, we trust, accurate view of our 
justly boasted School System, — which, strange as it may seem, is scarce- 
ly comprehended by one citizen in a hundred. The work, we believe, will 
be a valuable and acceptable one, and to enhance its interest, we sub- 
join a chronological sketch of each individual school, with an accurate en- 
graving of each house. We have said that the system was " nearly com- 
plete and almost perfect." There is, however, one hiatus, of vast magni- 
tude, and that is the want of a High School for Girls. It is rather a hu- 
miliating truth for a Bostonian to utter, when questioned as to our public 
aids to female culture, that we have no public institution to perfect young 
ladies in an advanced education. Some superior private schools we have, 
but they are only fortunate accidents, and liable to be broken up at the 
will of an individual, and subject only to his whims and caprices. The 
subject has been, at various times, ably and faithfully presented to both 
the School Committee, and the City Council. Reports have been favorably 
passed upon, and much feeling elicited upon the matter, but thus far noth- 
ing has been effected. How long the " Athens of America " shall contin- 
ue to be the only large town in Massachusetts that does not furnish a su- 
perior seminary for females, at the public expense, is a problem that we 
have now no means of solving. 



BOARD OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE EOR 1851. 



John Prescott Bigelow, Chairman, 

Francis Brinley, President of Common Council, 

By Election from Wards. 



Ex Officiis. 



Ward 

1 . Rev. Edward Beecher, D. D. 
Benson Leaviit. 

2. Dr. William H. Thorndike, 
Silas B. Hahn. 

3. Dr. Edward D. G. Palmer, 
Rev. Pharcellus Church. 

4. Rev. Samuel K. Lothrop, 
Rev. Hubbard Winslow. 
Frederick Emerson, 
Loring Norcross. 
Sampson Reed, 
Frederick U. Tracy. 



5. 



Ward 

7. Hamilton Willis, 

Dr. Zabdiel B. Adams. 

8. Rev. James I. T. Coolidge, 
Samuel W. Bates. 

9. Joseph M. Wightman, 
Samuel E. Guild. 

10. Rev. Joseph B. Felt, 
Rev. Georse M. Randall. 

11. Willliam H. Foster, 
George Eaton. 

12. Alvan Simonds, 
Francis Alger. 



NATHAN BISHOP, Public School Superinteiident. 
SAMUEL F. McCLEARY. Jr.. Secretary of the Board. 



LATIN SCHOOL. 



20'.) 




L..\TIX SCHOOL, BF.DFORn STREET. 

Established 1647, Erected 1S44, Cost $ 57,510.81. 
EPES SARGENT DIXWELL, Master; CALEB EMERY, Sub-Master. 
This School was instituted, in the language of our ancestors, "to the 
end that learning may not be buried in the graves of our forefathers in 
Church and Commonwealth." Its origin seems to have been in hostility 
to His Satanic Majesty ; — in the statute words, " it being one chief proj- 
ect of Satan ti keep men from the knowledge of the Scripture;?, as in 
Conner times keeping them in unknown tongues, so in these latter times 
by persuading from the use of tongues, that so at last the true source and 
meaning of the original might be clouded and corrupted with false glosses 
iif deceivers." So far as making thorough scholars is concerned, it has 
doubtless had its effect. From time immemorial it was located in School 
street. The old house was rebuilt in 1S12, and in the interim the School 
occupied "a building in Friend street, called the Spermaceti Works." 
rhi.5 second house was demolished in 1S41, the Horticultural Hall now oc- 
cupying its site, and the present edifice was erected. We have only room 
for a list of the masters since the School Ccmimittee was instituted, in 
1702. and from this dale we give all the masters of the Grammar Schools. 
S Hunt was in office at the close of the last century, and till 1805 ; S. C. 
Thatcher succeed him temporarily; W. Bigelow. of Salem, was in office 
I'rom 1805 to ISI t ; B. A. Gould, from 1814 to 1S28 ; F. P. Leverett, from 
182? to 1851 : C. K. Dillaway, from 1831 to 1836. E. S. Dixwell, 1836. 



IS 



210 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 




ELIOT SCHOOL, NORTH BENXET STREET. 

Established 1713, Erected 1S38, Cost $24,072. 
W. 0. AYRES, Grammar Master; L. CON ANT, Writing Master. 

A public school was kepi long before the date of the establishment of i 
tlie Eliot. *' Att a generall meeting upon publique notice, the 13th of ye 
2nd month, 1635, it was then generally agreed upon yt or brother Phile- 
mon Permont shal be intreated to become a scholemaster for the teaching 
& nourtering of children with us," — and on "the 10th of ye Uth mo. 
1644, It's ordered that Deare Hand shall be Improved for the maintenance 
of a Free Schoole for the Towne." Whether " Philemon" was the fore- 
father of the Eliot school, and whether it flourished with the " seaven 
pounds per yeer," which James Penn and John Oliver paid for " Deare 
Hand," is not now to be determined. Certain it is, however, it was two 
different schools, one in "Love Lane," and one in "Robert Sandiman's 
meeting-house." In 1792 a new house was built on the site of the present, 
and the lower room was " appointed to the writing and the upper to the 
reading school." This was the first union of two schools in one build- 
ing. Samuel Cheney and John Tileston, were the masters. It was de- 
demolished in 1837, and the present house was built, with repairs, altera- 
tions, and considerable additions in 1850. 

Pupils, 406 ; average 366. 



ADAMS SCHOOL. 



211 




ADAMS SCHOOL., MASON STREET. 

Established 1717, Erected 184S, Cost $20,000. 

SAMUEL BARRET, Grammar Master; B. WOOD, Sub-Master. 

This was formerly two distinct Schools, one in Queen street, now Court, 
called the Centre Writing School, and the other " in front of the new 
Court House," — now City Hall, — called the Centre Reading Scliool, 
gathered in 17S9. In 1812 the town ordered this last to be removed, and 
the Latin School-House, in School street, was rebuilt, and enlarged to ac- 
commotlate all three. The Reading School was afterwards removed \o 
West street, in the same building with the South Writing School, and in 
1819, the Writing School followed, the South being removed to Franklin 
Hall, and the two Centre Schools were united. The old flouse was rebuilt 
in 1S22, and was occupied by a boys' school, as it has been latterly. For 
many years this latter building was excessively inconvenient, — the most 
so of any house in the city, and in 1847 it wa.s demolished, and the pres- 
ent elesant and commodious edifice erected. It received its name with 
other schools in 1521. The last reports show 3-10 pupils, with 2&^ aver- 
ase attendance. jMedals were given at their first institution, in 1792, but 
the recipients are not recorded. During the siege of Boston, the schools 
were all intermitted, except one kept by Dupee, and it is said to have 
held its sessions in the old house in West street. This, however, is un- 
certain. 



212 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 




FRANKIilX SCHOOL.? WASHIXGTOX STREET. 

Established 1785, Erected 1845, Cost $ 18,394. 

S. L. GOULD, Master ; S. A. M. GUSHING, Principal Assistant. 

This, like the Eliot and Adams, was formerly two distinct schools, — 
the South Writing ami the South Reading Schools. The former was lo- 
cated in Mason street, and the latter in Nassau street. In 1819 the for- 
mer was established at "Franklin Hall," over the Nassau Street School; 
they were united as two departments of the same school, and were named 
the same year. In 1826 a new house was erected on Washington street, 
the site of the present, after considerable difficulty in locating it, and the 
schools removed from Common street. It was injured l>y fire in 18-3.3. In 
the great fire of 1844, it was totally destroyed, and the present edifice was 
erected on the same spot, and on the plan of the Brimmer and Otis. Its 
Grammar Masters have been Elisha Ticknor, Samuel Payson, Foster Wa- 
terman, Asa Bullard. S. Payson, Ebenezer Bailey, William J. Adams, 
William Clough, R G. Parker, Barnum Field, who died on the — of May, 
and was succeeded by ]Mr. Gould, two weeks after. Its Writing Masters 
were John Vinal, Rufus Webb, Otis Pierce, and Nathan Merrill, who re- 
signed in 1848. It was then placed on the single-headed plan, with two 
female assistants, with increased salaries, instead of a Sub-Master. Mas- 
ter Webb was a noted and worthy man, with much " pride of office," 
and left a legacy to the school, to buy books for indigent pupils. Tt is a 
girls' school, with 561 pupils, 431 average attendance. The old school, 
in Nassau street, was established in April, 1785. 



MAYHEW SCHOOL. 



213 




MAYHFAV SCHOOL HAWKINS STREET. 

Established 1802, Erected 1847, Cost a 35.792 59. 
SAMUEL SWAN, Master; WINSLOW BATTLES, Sub-Master. 
In IS03 a number of citizens of West Boston petitioned for a new 
school, and a piece of land was bought for it of i"\Ir. Lyman, at the comer 
of Chardon and Hawkins street, so " as at the same time to accommodate 
tho.se who are near the centre of the town," and the old house wa.s the re- 
sult, which was opened to accommodate the two schools in April of the 
same year, although considerable dissatisfaction at first existed as to its 
location. It was named for Rev. Jonath.Tu Mayhew. in H21. This is 
now a boys' school, as it was at first, and " Master Hult " will be remem- 
bered for a long day by very many men still living. It has, however, at 
some periods of its existence been a mixed schonl. and many mothers of 
its present pupils were its scholars. The first house is n<nv standin?, hut 
was converted into a stable in 1>'47, and the present building was finished 
the same year. The Grammar Ma.sters have been Cyrus Perkins, Hall J. 
Kelly, John Frost, R.*G. Parker, William ClouErh, IMoses W. Walker, W. 
D. Swan. Its Writing Ma.sters were Benjamin Holt, Benjamin Callen- 
der, Aaron Davis Capen, and John D. Philbrick. At the organization of 
the Qtiincy School, Mr. Philbrick was transferred to that, and the May- 
hew was reorganized on the one-headed plan, as it is at present. Pupils, 
403. average attendance 330. 



214 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 




HAWES SCHOOL, SOUTH BOSTON. 

Established 1811, Erected 1S23, Cos; $ 5,889.29. 
JOHN A. HARRIS, Master; CHARLES A. MORRILL, Sub-Master. 
Previous to May, 1807, about three years after the annexation of South 
Boston — before a part of Dorchester — to the town, no school existed in 
the place, other than private. In this year a petition was circulated, and 
it appearing that the people paid $1,000 taxes, and yet had no public 
school privileges, the town voted $300 for the purpose of sustaining "a 
woman's school," on condition that the appointment of teachers should 
be with the general School Committee. This was paid several years, but 
the Committee did not immediately take the school under their supervis- 
ion. A house was built on some public laud where no street was laid out. 
at a cost of $ 400, and this remained as the School House of South Boston, 
until the present house was erected on land given by Mr. John Hawes. 
The first house was built by a Mr. Everett, under the direction of Mr. 
Woodard, and some questions as to ownership arose in 1823. Its teach- 
ers were at first in part supported by subscription ; in 1821, the teacher 
was " put on the same footing as the ushers," and in 1833, the Master 
was made equal to others. It was not known on the records, as the 
" Hawes," until 1827. It had but one male teacher, or master, until 1835. 
when Mr. Harris was elected Writing Master. Its Masters previous were 
Z. Wood, L. Capen, B. Field, J. Lincoln, M. W. Walker J, Harrington. 
Jr. Mr. H. became the Grammar Master, was succeeded by Mr. Ciafis. 
and the school remained with two departments until January, 1848. 



I 



SMITH SCHOOL. 



215 




SMITH SCHOOL., BEL.KXAP STREET. 

Established ISI'2, Erected 1834, Cost $7,435.61. 
THOMAS PAUL, Master; JAMES C. JOHNSON, Music Teacher. 
Tins school is for colored children of both sexes. A school for African.s 
was commenced by themselves, in 179S, the Selectmen having first jjrant- 
ed permission, and was kept in the house of Primus Hall. The yellow 
fever broke it up. and three years afterwards it was revived by Rev Drs 
IMorse of Charlestown, Kirkland of Harvard College, Channing, and Low- 
ell, and Rev. Mr. Emerson of Boston. They provided for its entire sup- 
ptirt two years. It was then proposed to have the colored people hire a 
building, and a carpenter's shop was selected adjoining to the old church 
and this continued three years. The site of the meetinghouse was then 
selected, and purchased by subscription, and the African Baptist Church 
erected a house, of which the school occupied the basement. The room 
was completed in 1S03, and immediately occupied by the school, and the 
reverend gentlemen mentioned supported the school, with aid from sub- 
scriptions, until 1812. when the town first took notice of it, granting 
5200 annually. In 1315, Abiel Smith, Esq.. died, and left a legacy of 
about 8 5,000. the income of which is to be appropriated " for the free in- 
struction of colored children in reading, writing, and arithmetic." The 
present house was built in 1333-35, and on the 10th of February, 1835, 
the school was named for its benefactor. Pupils 65 ; average 37. 



216 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 




BOYL.STON SCHOOL,, FORT HILL.. 

Established 1819, Erected 1818, Cost $ 13,343.73. 

J. C. DORE, Grammar Master; C. KIMBALL, Writing Master. 

The Boylslon School was named by vote of the town, — the first in the 
city, — at the time it was gathered. The present building in Washington 
Place, Fort Hill, was finished in 1819, and the schools took possession of 
it on tlie 20th of April, under John Sticlvney, Master of the Reading 
School, and Ebenezer E. Finch, of the Writing School. For two or three 
years a " Monitorial School," under Mr. William B. Fowle, was kept in 
tiie building, with what success we are not aware, but in 1822 he resigned 
his office, and the school Was discontinued. Cliarles Fox succeeded Mr. 
Stickney, and was succeeded in 1844 by Thomas Baker, then usher in the 
Mayhew, who resigned in 1849, and was succeeded by Mr. Dore. Fred- 
erick Emerson, Esq., now of the School Committee, followed Mr. Finch, 
and when the Writing Master's office was abolished, in 1830, he left the ser- 
vice ; and on its restoration, in 1833, Abel Wheeler, the usher in the school, 
was elected Writing Master, succeeded by Aaron B. Hoyt. and he by 
Mr. Kimball, in 1840. The institution of this school was the occasion of 
uniting the two departments into one school, throughout the city, and the 
house was then thought to be without a parallel, although in 1848 it was 
by far the poorest house in the city, and in 1849 was completely remod- 
elled. It is very finely located on Washington Place, opposite the Square. 



BOWUOIN SCHOOL. 



217 




BOWDOIN SCHOOL, MYRTLE STREET. 

Establislied 1S21, Erected 1S4S, Cost S 44,980.14. 
A. ANDREWS, Grammar Master; J. ROBINSON, Writiyig Master. 

This house contains one large hall in the third story, with two rooms 
for recitation, and another smaller apartment for the use of the Gram- 
mar Master; two large rooms, connected by sliding doors, two recitation 
rooms, and one room for the Writing Master, in the second story ; two 
large rooms, with a recitation room to each one on the first floor. The 
school is for girls only. The building is furnished with desks and chairs 
of the most approved style. It hjis 560 seats for pupils. The school, af- 
ter having been at the Masonic Temple nearly a year, took possession of 
the new building on Myrtle street, on the l.Jth of May, 1^4.^. On this 
occasion addresses were made by Mayor Quincy, President Quincy, Pro- 
fessor Parsons, and Sampson Reed, and G. B. Emerson, Esqs. It was 
first established in Derne street, on the site now occupied by the reservoir, 
and was taken down to make room for that structure, ia June, 1S47. 
Both sexes, for about ten years after its first establishment, attended its 
instruction. The first Masters were Warren Peirce, and John H. Belcher. 
Mr. Peirce died near the close of the first year, and was succeeded by Mr. 
Andrews, in June, 1322, who was previously principal of a private school 
in Charlestown. J\Ir. Belcher was succeeded by Mr. Robinson. 



ly 



218 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 




a.b' sc. 



EXGL.ISH HIGH SCHOOL, BEDFORD STREET. 

Established 1S21, Erected 1844, Cost, see Latin. 
THOMAS SHERWIN, Master; LUTHER ROBINSON, Sub-Master. 

This school originated in the growing desire for extended means of 
thorough education, and was one of the latest and best fruits of the com- 
bined action of the citizens of the " old town " of Boston. Some of the 
latest " warned town meetings " were in reference to the establishment of 
this school, and it was finally and heartily commenced in the year 1821, 
in the second story of the old. Derne Street School-House, then newly 
erected. George Barrell Emerson, now of the School Board, was chosen 
its first Master, February 19, 1821. . It continued in the Derne street 
house until a building was erected for it in Pinckney street, which it first 
occupied in February, 1824. The plan of the School has already been de- 
scribed in our introductory remarks, and it is only necessary to add, that 
its increased usefulness and popularity are only excelled by the pride our 
citizens take in it It not only receives its proportion of Franklin Med- 
als, but in 1846 the Hon. Abbott Lawrence made it a donation of $ 2,000, 
the interest of which is annually distributed in prizes. A like donation 
he also made to the Latin School. In 1S44 it became necessary to build a 
new house for the Latin School, and a plan was projected of having the 
two schools in one building, and the High School was removed from 
Pinckney street to its present location. 



HANCOCIC SCHOOL. 



2\9 




HANCOCK SCHOOL., RICHMOND PLACE. 

Established 1S22, Erected 1S47, Cost $69,603.15. 

GEORGE ALLEN, Jr., Master; P. W. BARTLETT, Sub-Master. 

This school was first located in Middle street, now Hanover, and was 
opened in June, 1823, by an address from the Mayor. The old house still 
stands, and is converted into Primary School-rooms, and a Ward Room. 
It has, for several years, been a girls' school, and one of the first rank 
in the city. Its first Masters were Nathaniel K. G. Oliver, and Peter 
Mcintosh, Jr. The latter held office till his death, in 134S, and was a 
most estimable man, and a universal favorite with his pupils and associ- 
ates in office. At his decease the school was placed upon the single- 
headed plan, and Mr. Bartiett, usher in the Brimmer School, was elected 
SubiMasier in September. The old house was very inconmiodious, and 
under the e.vemplary zeal of James H. Barnes, Esq., after several years' 
effitrt, the present site was selected, a most elegant building erected, and 
on the 10th of April. 1848, it was dedicated with appropriate services. It 
is quite similar in con.struclion to the " Quincy," four stories high, with 
a large hall in the highest story, that will seat six or seven hundred, and 
several separate rooms for assistant teachers on the lower floors. The 
hou.se cost several thousand dollars more than any in the city, and is not 
surpassed in any respect. Its location is very good, between Prince and 
Richmond streets. It has 4G6 pupils, averaee attendance 399. 



220 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 




"WEIiliS SCHOOL,, McIiEAN STREET. 

Established 1833, Erected 1833, Cost $ 28,098.87. 
C. WALKER, Grammar Master; R. SWAN, Jr., Writing Master. 
This school was gathered on account of the crowded state of the neigh 
boring schools, in December, 1833, under the present Grammar Master, 
who was previously Master of the Eliot School, and Benjamin Callender, 
Writing Master. The latter held office about six months, was succeeded 
by John Lothmp, who left the school in 1836, and Mr. Swan, formerly of 
the Harvard School, Charlestown, was elected his successor. It was at 
first a school for both sexes, and so continued till the organization of the 
Otis, in 1845, when the boys were transferred to that and the Phillips, and 
the Wells became a girls' school, and so remains. It was named for the 
Hon. Charles Wells, fourth Mayor of the city, in the years 1832-33. Dur- 
ing the year 1850, the house was considerably enlarged, an additional 
story placed upon the original structure, and the halls furnished with the 
latest conveniences and aids to teaching. Last returns show 413 pupils, 
with 364 average attendance. The first medals were given in 1834. but 
the recipients are not on record. The district for this school embraces 
the whole of Ward Five, and within its limits there was, in 1848, no pri 
vate school kept, except a small one by a female teacher ; and in the same 
limits tliere were but fourteen girls who attended any other school. 



JOHNSON SCHOOL 



i-^l 




JOHNSON SCHOOL., TREMONT STREET. 

Established 1S36, Erected 1S35, Cos/ S 26,715.14. 
R. G. PAKlvER, Master N. School; J. HALE, Master S. School. 
This school, for girls only, was organized in September, 1336, in conse- 
quence of the increasing wants of the South end. It was at first opened as 
a "one-headed " school, and Mr. Parker, at that time Master of the May- 
hew School, was elected Principal. A Writing Master, specially em- 
ployed, visited this and the Winthrop School, on alternate days, — the 
Masters teaching all else. This plan continued till 1841, when it was 
changed, and Mr. Joseph Hale of the Phillips School, Salem, was chosen 
to the head of the Writing Department. It retained this form until Jan- 
uary, 184S, when the scholars were separated into two distinct schools, 
Mr. Parker being Principal of iho one, and Mr. Hale of the other, each 
with female assistants only. The School has a small library, presented by 
Amos Lawrence, Esq. The name " Arbell.i " was prefixed at the request 
of the Hon Samuel T. Armstrong, then INIayor, but it is known simply as 
the "Johnson" School This was the third entire girls' school in the 
city, and the full attendance through the entire year shows how the hab- 
its of our citizens have changed since 1S22. when the School Committee 
considered whether girls " might not be allotred" to attend school in the 
winter months ! Medals were first awarded to Misses E. M. Emnions, M. 
L. Crymble. M. H Ireland, E W. Keith, S. L. Siinson, A. C. Cheever. 



222 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 




AVINTHROP SCHOOIi, EAST STREET. 

Established 1836, Erected 1835, Cost $ 23,897. 
HENRY WILLIAMS, Jr., Master. 
This school was originally organized like the Johnson, in the latter part 
of 1835, and the boys took possession of this house in September, 1836, 
under Franklin Forbes. All branches, except writing, were taught by the 
master. Mr. F. resigned in December, 1837, and Mr. Williams succeeded 
him in January, 1848. The school continued under its original organiza- 
tion till April. 1841, when it was made a mi.ved school, and Samuel L. 
Gould was chosen Writing Master. In 1847 the boys were sent to form 
the Quincy School, then organizing, and the girls were separated into the 
North and South Winthrop Schools, which were entirely distinct and in- 
dependent of each other, and so remained until May, 1851, when Mr. 
Gould was transferred to the Franklin School, and the North and South 
Winthrop Schools were consolidated into one, under charge of Mr. Wil- 
liams. Before this change the house was without many indispensable 
conveniences. Dr. Thomas M Brewer, Chairman of the School, inter- 
ested himself in the matter, and after untiring efforts, succeeded in hav- 
ing the house enlarged and improved after a plan projected by Mr. Wil- 
liams, dividing the two stories into four separate rooms each. Its interior 
arrangements are now commodious and superior, as well as the school it- 
self. 



LYMAN SCHOOL. 



223 




liTMAN SCHOOIi, EAST BOSTON. 

Established 1S37, Erected 1S46, Cost $ 13,596.27. 
HOSEA H. LINCOLN, Master of Boys' School. 
ISAAC F. SHEPARD, Master of Girls' School. 
This school was first gathered with forty pupils, kept in a chapel, and 
was named for the Hon. Theodore Lyman, fifth Mayor of the city in 
1834-35. A handsome Library was presented to the school by this cenlle- 
man, in 1S47. The original house was built in 1837, and was destroyed 
by fire in January, 1846. The present building was erected the same year, 
upon the same site, on the plan of the Brimmer, and will seat 386 pupils 
in the main rooms. Four rooms on the lowest floor are also occupied, 
each seating 52 pupils, and three rooms in an adjoining building. Albert 
Bowker, previously usher in the Eliot School, was the only Master, from 
the time of its establishment, till his resignation, in December, 1845. In 
March, 1846, Mr. Lincoln, then usher in the Brimmer School, was elected 
his successor. The school was then reorganized; from a mixed school, it 
was changed to separate schools for each se.v. ]\Ir. Lincoln took charge 
of the boys' school, and Mr. Ordway, usher in the school, took charge of 
the girls' school. He was subsequently elected Master. The schools be- 
gan to be in a very crowded state in 1847, and in 1848 incipient steps were 
taken to accommodate the surplus scholars, which finally resulted in the 
formation of the Chapman School. 



224 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 




ENDICOTT SCHOOIi, COOPER STREET. 

Established 1S39, Erected 1S40, Cost $22,337.07. 

J. W. JENKS, Master of Girls' School. 
JOHN F. NOURSE, Master of Boys' School. 
This school, for both sexes, was first gathered in April, 1839, and until 
the building was completed, occupied the Pitts Street Chapel, and the 
Ward Room in the old Hancock School House. George Allen, Jr., then 
usher in the Mayhew School, and previously in the Adams, was elected 
Grammar Master, and Loring Lothrop, usher in the Eliot School, Writing 
Master. It took its name from the second Governor of the Colony of 
Massachusetts Bay, John Endicott, and has been a school of marked pros- 
perity. The Rev. Sebastian Streeter was Chairman of the Committee of 
the School for several years, and to his deep interest in its welfare is to he 
referred much of its usefulness. The house is large and well ventilated, 
and its location is very good. The city, in lS4cS, purchased a lot of land 
on which to erect an addition, fur the better accommodation of the 
schools, and in 1S50, a complete remodelling of the building was effected. 
In September, 1847, Mr. Allen was transferred to the Hancock School, 
and the organization was changed. Two distinct schools were formed, 
Mr. Lothrop being made I\Taster of the Girls' School, and Mr. Nourse, 
then of Beverly Academy, was chosen Master of the Boys'. Mr. Lothrop 
was transferred to the Chapman School, when it was organized in 18.50. 



MATHEK SCHOOL. 



225 








y 4^ 



f 



■^i- 



MATHER SCHOOL., BROAD^V AY, SOrTH BOSTON. 

Established 1»42, Erected 1842, Cosi! $21,314.80. 
J. A. STEARNS, Gram. Master; J. BATTLES, Jr., Writing Master. 

The Mather School was first gathered in 1S40, under Mr. Battles and 
female assistants, as a branch of the Hawes, and occupied Franklin Hall 
until their fine house was built. The school was named in 1S42, in mem- 
ory of the celebrated Mather family, and was removed to the edifice erect- 
ed for it in March of the same year. An exhibition of the pupils in dec- 
lamation, and other exercises, occurred on the occasion. Alvan Simonds, 
Esq.. now of the Common Council, was then, and for several years after. 
Chairman of the school, and to his energetic and faithful labors does the 
school owe much of its superior privileges and character. It continued 
under the charge of Mr. Battles, previously in the Hawes School, and I. 
F. Shepard, previously in the Endicott. ushers, till August, 184.'3, when it 
was fully organized, and Josiah A. Stearns, usher in the Adams School, 
was elected Grammar Mnster, and J\Tr. B. Writing M;vster. A Library 
of l.(XX) volumes is connected with the school, for which it is chiefly in- 
debted to the liberality of Amos Lawrence, Esq., who made a similar gift 
to the Johnson School. A nucleus for it existed, however, froin the ori- 
gin (if the school, as a part of the results of a " moral association," origi- 
nated, it is believed, by Mr. Harrington, while at the Hawes School. A 
1 similiir association exists in the Mather, called itie Lawrence Association. 



226 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 





BRIMMSR SCHOOIi, COMMON STREET. 

Established 1843, Erected 1843, Cosr $22,151.21. 
J. BATES, Jr., Grammar Master; J. H. BUTLER, Writing Master. 
The Brimmer School for boys was established in 1843, to accommodate 
the surplus in the Adams, the Winthrop, and the Franklin Schools. The 
Franklin had previously been a mixed School, but on the establishment of 
the Brimmer, it became a girls' school, and its male pupils were all trans- 
ferred to this last ; thus it commenced with full numbers and advanced 
pupils. The house was first occupied in December. Dedication services 
were held on the occasion, and addresses were made by several distin- 
guished gentlemen. Mr. Bates, the Grammar Master, was elected from 
the Winthrop School, Charlestown, of which he had been Principal sev- 
eral years. Mr. Shepard was previously usher in the English High School. 
The school was named in compliment to the late Hon. Martin Brimmer, 
the ninth Mayor of the city, in 1843-44, and a liberal friend to public 
schools. This house is well situated on the site of the old Franklin School, 
and built on the same model with the Otis. The school has had a very 
high rank, from the time of its establishment. It has a library of about 
two hundred volumes, and they are used with much benefit. The whole 
number of pupils last returned was 341 ; average attendance 301. The 
first medals were awarded in 1845, to G F. Stoddard, C. H. Hovey, F. A. 
Tuttle, I. J. Harvvood, H. W. Barrey, and F. Smith. 



PHILLIPS SCHOOL. 



2:7 







PHILiIilPS SCHOOL, PINCKNEY STREET. 

Establisfied 1844, Erected 1S23-25, Cos< $ 24,484.03. 
i. RO\li.Y, Grammar Master ; BEN J. DREW, Writing Master. 
This house was first erected for llie use of a Grammar School, and 
aamed the " Bowdoin School." Previous to its occupancy, the name was 
transferred to the old Derne Street School, and the building was devoted 
solely to the purposes of the English High School ; but upon the removal 
of this last to the new house in Bedford street, the building, at a cost of 
$2.9-4.5.50, was refitted for a Grannnar School, required by the growing 
population of the West End, and named in honor of the Hon. John Phil- 
lips, the first Mayor of Boston, in 1822. Samuel S. Greene was the first 
Grammar l\Ia.«ter, and at his resignation in 1849, was succeeded by the 
present incumbent. Mr. Ssvan has been connected with the School from 
the Commencement. The School assembled in November, 1844, and on tha 
first of the next February, the building was materially damaged by a fire, 
which took from the hot air flues of the furnace. The repairs cost S 1,005, 
and some alterations were reconnnended by the last annual examining 
committee, " which would greatly benefit btith the masters and the pu- 
pils." The scliool is for boys only, of whom .386 were reported in the last 
semi-annual returns, with an average attendance of 321. The location of 
the district from which the school is gathered, is one of the most favorable 
in the city, as its pupils generally come from the first class families. 
While this fact is beneficial in many respects, it almost ncces.sarily keeps 
the school " young," as its pupils are early transferred to higher schools. 



22S 



PUELIC .SCHOOI S 




I 



OTIS SCHOOIi, liAlVCASTER STREET. 

Established 1844, Erected 1S44, Cost $25,791.78. 

F. SHEPARD, Grammar Master ; B. DREW, Jr., Writing Master. 

This School-House when erected was considered the best in the city, al- 
though it is now quite behind tlie models. It contains two large halls, 
with two recitation rooms attached to each, and will seat, in the large 
rooms, 464 pupils. The school was first gathered as the New North School, 
in 1843, and until the present building was erected, occupied the ward 
rooms in the old Hancock and the Eliot schoo^houses. Samuel S. Greene, 
usher of the English High School, was chosen Grammar Master, who was 
transferred to the Phillips School, at its organization, and Mr. Shepard, 
then usher in the Adams School, was elected his successor. Mr. Drew 
had been usher in the Mayhew School. The school took possession of the 
new house Feb. 6, 184.5, and dedicatory services were held on the iiflh day 
of March, at which Mayor Davis presided. Appropriate addresses were 
made by the venerable Harrison Gray Otis, for whom the school was 
named, His Excellency Gov. Briggs, Dr. Ezra Palmer, Jr., and others. A 
fine Library was presented to the pupiis by Wm. S. Damrell, and remains 
a noble memento of his benevolence. The house is badly located,- and a 
special committee have reported in favor of a new building on the site of 
the old jail in Leverett Street. 



DWIGHT SCHOOL. 



2-^J 




DAVIGHT SCHOOL,, CONCORD STREET. 

Eslatilished 1S44, Erected 1815, Cost .S30,00(). 
G. B. HYDE, Master G School; J. A. PAGE. Master B. School. 
The School-House contains two large halls, with two recitation rooms 
attached to each, and will seal r)2S pupils. The school was first gathered 
aa the New South School, in 1844, and until the present building was 
erected, occupied the basement of the Suffolk Street Chapel. Mr. Hyde 
was the sole master of the sciiool until lS-50, when it was made into two 
distinct schools, like the Endicott, jMr. H. retaining the girls, and Mr. 
Page, then Sub-iMasler, was elected Principal of the boys' school. A 
small Library of reference lx)oks was presented to the school by Hon. Etl 
niund Dwight, the distinguished gentleman whose name it hears. Upon 
this subject of Libraries, we give the language of a Committee apptiinted 
in 1847. "In most parts of this State, school libraries are established, 
and our noble Commonwealth, in its wise munificence and forecast, ojiens 
its treasury to encourage them. Our Board docs nuihing. We establish 
no library for master or pupil. We leave both to private liberality and 
private charity. We claim not our rights of the Slate. We profess to be 
friends of the teacher, and yet leave him without a school library, and to 
sue in vain at the Public Library. Guardians of the purity of the chil 
dren, and knowing the safeguard tliore is in a collection of well-selected 
books, we leave the moral and intelleiHual welfare of our cliarge to the 
proverbial delicacy and taste of the circulating library." 



230 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 




dUINCY SCHOOL., TYLER STREET. 

Established 1S47, Erected 1847, Cost $60,210.18. 
J. D. PHILBRICK, Master; C. E. VALENTINE, Sub-Master. 
This school-house contains most of the modern improvements, for 
many of which it is indebted to the indefatigable exertions of James H. 
Barnes, Esq., a member of the School Board, and Chairman of the Com- 
mittee on the "Erection and Alteration of School Houses." It is four 
stories high, and contains twelve school rooms, each of which accomo- 
dates 56 scholars, and a hall furnished with settees, which will seat 700 
pupils. It has also six small recitation rooms. Its greatest improvements 
consist in having a separate room for each teacher, and a separate desk 
for each scholar. It was dedicated on the '26th of June, 1S43. Addresses 
were made by Mayor Quincy, who presided. Dr. T. M. Brewer, Chairman 
of the Sub-Committee, the venerable Ex-President Quincy, second Mayor 
of the city, from 1S23-23, for whom it was named. Rev. Mr. Waterston 
and the Principal, who announced the fact that the liberal donation of 
$ 200 had been made to the school for the purpose of procuring a Library 
for the pupils. For some remarks upon the library facilities of the 
schools, the reader is referred to the notice of the Dwight School. Previ- 
ously to his transfer to this school, Mr. Philhrick had been one year 
j uslier in the English High School, and two years Writing Master of the 
I Mayhew School Mr. Valentine had been usher in the Winthrop School. 



PRIMARY SCHOOL. 



231 




PRIMARY SCHOOLS. 

Established 1818, Expenses $ 5.000. 

The Primary Schools were originally but twelve in number, and with 
few conveniences provided by the city. For several years the teachers 
hired their own rooms, furnished them, and of course were subjected to 
many and great evils. Even tlie $ 5,000 that these schools cost was loud- 
ly talked of as a great expense, and it was not until 1833 that the city 
owned rooms where the schools were located. Now 113 schools are kept in 
city buildings ; some of them in the basements of Grammar School- 
Houses, and some in houses erected expressly for them. Three of these 
were built in 13-17, and a view of one in Tremout street is given atwve. 
Another follows on the next page, and they have been erected with special 
regard to the comfort and convenience of teachers and pupils, while atten- 
tion has been paid to neatness and architectural accuracy. The prosperity 
of the Primary Schools is the surest indication of the deep interest taken 
by the people in popular education. In 1820 there were only 1,381 pupils 
in them, while now there are 11,788. Tlie .scholars have increased at the 
rate of 2S0 per cent., while the populalioii has increased only 130 per cent. 



232 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 




INGRAHAM SCHOOL, SHEAFE STREET. 

For 3 Schools, Erected 184S, Cost $ 12,425.70, 
This house was dedicated Monday, March 27, 1848. Joseph W. Ingra- 
ham, Esq., under whose direction the plans for the building were pre- 
pared, presided, made an address, and was followed by Hon. Horace Mann, 
and others. Mr. Billings was the architect, and Dr. H. G. Clark, and F. 
Etnerson, Esq., arranged its ventilating apparatus, which is very superior. 
The house is 53 feet in length, 25 in width, containing three principal 
apartments for the schools, with recitation rooms, closets, and other mi- 
nor apartments. It is fitted up with all the modern improvements and 
appliances. 

I\Ir. Ingraham died on the 28th of August, in the 48th year of his age, 
much lamented. He was most zealously interested in the cause of educa- 
tion, an early, and the senior member of the Primary School Board, and 
was recently appointed a member of the Board of Education. He was an 
estimable man, with the noblest and purest impulses, guided by a profound 
sense of the great truths of Christianity. His funeral took place at Christ 
Church, in Salem street. The house was crowded with the friends of the 
deceased, among whom were the members of the School Committees, the 
Primary School Teachers, officers of the city, distinguished friends of 
Education, and a large number of children. In honor of his memory this 
school house was named by the Board, the " Ingraham Primary School." 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 233 



The foregoinf sketches of the individual schools, — as full as the space 
allotted would allow, — it is believed are quite accurate, and t)ut little of 
note is to be added We have said that the establishment of a public 
school is to be traced as far back as 1635, only five years after Winthrop 
'sat down in a sroodlie place." It was then that Philemon Permoiu be 
came "schole master." and he probably followed that vocation until 1639, 
when he " was dismi-ssed to join Mr. Wheelwright and others at Piscata- 
que." His school was free, although sujjported by subscription, according 
I as each man felt disposed to sive. Daniel Maude was chosen to the same 
1 o;1ice in 1636. and probably kept a distinct school, as Winthrop tells us in 
his Journal, nine years subsequent, that " divers free schools " were creat- 
ed. Maude was a minister, and removed to Dover, N. H. The names of 
Woodbridge, Woodmansey, and Benjamin Thompson, — a very learned 
man and a poet, — occur soon after. Ezekiel Cheever came next, and is 
well regarded as the Father of American Pedagogues, since he was not on- 
ly famous for his lators in other settlements, but elevated the character of 
the Boston School, till it was regarded as the " principal school " in the 
land. With the law of 1647, before referred to. the Latin School had its ori- 
gin, and has been continued ever since. The first distinct Writing School 
was kept by John Cole, in 1634. In 1713 Captain Thomas Hutchinson built 
a school-house at his own expense, known as the North Latin School, and 
Recompence Wordsworth was the Master. A house on Love Lane, here- 
after referred to, was built by the same family in 1718, for a Wrilin? 
School, and kept by Jeremiah Condy. A Writing School in Mason street 
was opened the year before, under Amos Angler. These were the only 
schools previous to the Revolution, when they were all interrupted, and 
there was but one school during the siege of Boston, and that kept gratu- 
itously by Mr. Elias Dupee. In November of 1776, they were, however, 
all re.3umed, under the care of the Selectmen. The first provision for the 
support of these schools, we have already said, was by voluntary contribu 
tion. The oldest volume of town records shows a .subscription list for this 
purpose, headed by Sir Henry Vane, — the Puritan Hero, — who save 
£ 10, in company with Gov. Winthrop and Richard Bellingham. This 
method of raising money was not sufficiently permanent, and in 16-11 
the town voted to apply the rent money from " Dere Hand " to support 
schools. Other public income was soon after applied, and for two centu- 
ries our city has not been without schools supported from the puhlic treas- 
ury. Doubtless they have acted upon each other with refiex influence : 
furnishing a forcible commentary upon the sacred precept, — "There is 
that giveih and yet increaseth ; there is that vvithholdeth more than is 
meet, and it tendeth to poverty." 

The changes, great as they are, that have occurred in our .'5chool system, 
are marked by peculiar eras. Previous to the year \7^9. boys only were 
taught ill the public schmils, of which .*ix were in evistence. Tliirtyone 



234 PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 



years before this, in May, 1758, there were only five schools, and the whole 
number of pupils at them was only 841. The number now belonging to 
the public schools of the city, is shown by the actual returns to be no 
less than the vast multitude of 21,870 ! In the year mentioned, 1758, an 
examination was held, by the Selectmen appointed for the purpose, which 
must have been a great affair, and conducted with becoming dignity, 
judging from the record of their Report. They look with them " the 
Hon. John Osborn, Richard Bill, Jacob Wendell, Andrew Oliver, Stephen 
Sewall, John Erving, Robert Hooper, Esquires, the gentlemen Representa- 
tives of the town, the gentlemen Overseers of the Poor, the Rev. Minis- 
ters of the town, Mr. Treasury Gray, Joshua Winslow, Richard Dana, 
James Boulineau, Stephen Greenleaf, Esquires, Dr. William Clarke, and 
Mr. John Buddock " ; — and yet, with all this great array of Royal Hon- 
orables, Esquires, Gentlemen, Overseers, Reverends, Doctors, and Plain 
Misters, the Educational Committee give the result of their labors by 
simply telling us that they "found in the South Grammar School 115 
scholars ; in the South Writing School 240 ; in the Writing School in 
Queene Street 23(J ; in the North Grammar School 336 ; in the North 
Writing School 220 ; all in very good order ! " A capital Report that, 
and a lucid idea it gives us of the stale of instruction a hundred years 
ago! Perhaps "good order" did not mean in those days what it does 
now; but if so, it can hardly be wondered at that the little fellows were 
still, and fixed to their seats, at seeing some thirty pairs of knee-buckles, 
breeches, and long hose come parading into the school-houses, "all in a 
row, with their ruffled wristbands, cocked hats, powdered wigs, and spec- 
tacles, to say nothing of parsons' gowns and doctors' saddle-bags." Veri- 
ly, it must have been a rare sight to look at ! 

In those days the extent of instruction was in the branches of Reading, 
Writing, and Arithmetic, if we except Latin, which was taught in two 
schools, one in School Street, and one nearly upon the spot now occupied 
by the Eliot School in Bennet Street. But in the year 1739, the people 
waked up to the necessity of improvement, and measures were taken iu 
town meeting, " for in.strucling both sexes, and reforming the present sys- 
tem." It was determined that there should be one school only, in which 
the ruiliments of the Latin and Greek Languages should be taught, and 
that there should be one Writing and one Reading School at the South, at 
the Centre, and at the North parts of the town; that in the Writing 
Schools children of both sexes should be taught Writing, and also Arith- 
metic in the various branches usually taught in the town schools, includ- 
ing vulgar and decimal fractions : that in the Reading Schools, " the chil- 
dren of both sexes be taught to Spell, Accent, and Read both prose and 
verse, and also be instructed in English Grammar and Composition." 

This, with the appointment of a School Committee, was the first ap- 
proach to any thing like a system a;ul yet three years after, at the first 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. '^io 



I ineetin? of the School Committee, opposition to the improvements was to 
i be met, and violent prejudices conibatted. A petition to the town was 
refsrreil to the Committee, and the School Masters were invited to meet 
the petitioners, who were represented by Mr. Sweetser, and others. The 
I Masters accordingly attended the Committee, — a general conversation 
I ensued on the subject of tlie petition, Mr. Sweetser and Deacon Bailey 
I stated their objections to the present system, which they thought par- 
I licularly injurious to the lads destined to business, which required a read- 
iness in Arithmetic ; they wished that such lads might spend the tchuh 
I of their last year in Writing and Arithmetic, instead of dividing the 
I time between those objects and reading. The Masters were severally 
I questioned on the advantage of the existing plan of education, and unani- 
1 mously gave their opinion in favor of it, — explained their mode of teach 
i ing, — and the Writing Masters were fully of opinion thai the boys made 
I as great proficiency in Writing and Arithmetic, as under the old mode. 
I and that the time devoted to Arithmetic was fully sufficient to qualify any 
youth for the common business of a counting-house. Upon the whole, it 
appeared that the reformed sy.stem had produced the great advantage of 
giving education to a great number of females, without depriving the boys 
of their share of the Master's attention. 

Thus was the system established, and the school-house in Pleasant 
Street, occupied by Mr. Ticknor, became the South Reading School : and 
the school-house in West Street, occupied by Mr. Vinal, the South Writ- 
ing School ; a building was hired for the Centre Reading School, and the 
school-house in Tremont Street, occupied by Mr. Carter, became the Cen- 
tre Writing School ; the building in Middle Street, occupied by Mr. Che- 
ney, was retained as the North Reading School ; and the school-house in 
Love Lane, at which IMr. Tileston taught, was continued as the North 
Writing School. The North lAtin School, contiguous to the last, wa.s 
given up, and the school-house in School Street, occupied by Mr. Hunt, 
became the School for instruction in the Latin and Greek Languages. The 
location of these houses is by no means an uninteresting matter. Mr. 
Ticknor's was nearly on the spot where the Brimmer now stands, in Com- 
mon Street; Mr. Vinal's was near where the Adams now is : Mr. Carter'.^ 
was a wooden coniirniaiion of Sc.ollay's building, whirli nearly readied 
across the street, to Rev. S. K. Lothrop's house; Mr. Cheney's in Middle 
Street, now Hanover, opened where Parkman place now is. and "Love 
Lane " has since taken old Father Tile.ston's name ; the old North Latin 
School stood where the Eliot now is, and on its discontinuance the last 
two houses, almost contiguous, were united. Mr. Hunt's School was on 
the site of the Horticultural Hall : and the room for the Centre Reading 
School was in an old wooden building that stood nearly opposite the latter, 
in the present yard of the City Hall. 

A eodil .-^tnrv is told of ihf> H^i^lon bdvs whu atlondod the School tlmi 



236 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 



was kepi in Wesl street, during the Revolution. In November, 1776, the 
General Court orJered four brass cannon to be purchased for the use of the 
artillery companies in Boston. Two of these guns were kept in a gun- 
house that stood opposite the Mall, at the corner of West street. The 
school-house was the next building, and a yard inclosed with a high fence 
was common to both. Major Paddock, who then commanded the com- 
pany, having been heard to express his intention of surrendering these 
guns to the British army, a few individuals resolved to secure for the 
country a property which belonged to it, and which, in the emergency of 
the limes, had an importance very disproportionate to its intrinsic value. 

Having concerted their plan, the party passed through the school-house 
into the gun-house, and were able to open the doors which were upon the 
yard, by a small crevice, through which they raised the bar that secured 
them. The moment for the execution of the project was that of the roll- 
call, when the sentinel, who was stationed al one door of Ihe building, 
would be less likely to hear their operations. 

The guns were taken off their carriages, carried into the school-rooin, 
and placed in a large box under the master's desk, in which wood was kept. 
Immediately after the roll-call, a lieutenant and sergeant came into the 
gim-house to look al the cannon, previously to removing them. A young 
man who had assisted in their removal, remained by the building, and fol- 
lowed the officer in, as an innocent spectator. When the carriages were 
found without the guns, the sergeant exclaimed, " By G — , tliey 're gone! 

I '11 be d d if these fellows won't steal the teeth out of your head, 

while you 're keeping guard." They then began to search the building for 
them, and afterwards the yard ; and when Ihey came to the gate that 
opened into the street, the officers observed thai they could not have 
passed tliat way. because a cobweb across the opening was not broken. 
They next went into the school-house, which they examined all over, ex- 
cept the box, on which the master placed his foot, which v^as lame; and 
the officer, with true courtesy, on that account excused liim from risins. 
Several boys were present, but not one lisped a word. The British officers 
soon went back to the gun-house, and gave up the pursuit in vexation. 
The guns remained in that box for a fortnight, and many of the boys were 
acquainted with the fact, but not one of them betrayed the secret. At the 
end of that time, the person who had withdrawn them, came in the even- 
ing with a large trunk on a wheelbarrow; the guns were put into it and 
carried up lo a blacksmith's shop at the South end. and there deposited 
under the coal. After lying there for a while, they were put into a boat in 
the night, and safely transported within the American Inies. 

In locating a Reading and a Writing School in each section of the town, 
the Committee had done son;eihing towards meeting the wants of the peo- 
ple, it being (juite natural that Ihe children woidd attend the school near- 
est their places of residence. But no local limits were a.ssigned to the sev- 



PfBHC SCHOOLS. 237 



eral schools, discoiitenls and preferences grew up, and many pupils were 
lo be found In all ihe schools, who came from ihe most remote parts of the 
town. North end children went to the South end Schools, the South end 
lu the North, both to the Centre, and the Centre children wandered off lo 
each of the other sections, according as they liked masters, while children 
living in the immediate vicinity of a school were often excluded there- 
from, or subjected lo great inconvenience in their attendance. Further 
than this, the schools were, in a great degree, distinct from each other, 
each of llie Writing Schools being composed of children from the several 
Reading Schools, and each of the Reading Schools was made up of chil- 
dren from the various Writing Schools. In many instances children at- 
tended the Reading Schools without going to a Writing School, and r/ce 
versa. This brought about great inequality as to numbers, some masters 
having more than four hundred pupils, while others never counted two ; 
and the attendance often varied from 100 to 260. 

The evil consequent upon so much looseness of arrangement became so 
great, that in 1S19, when ihe Boylston School was established, Peter O. 
Thatcher, Benjamin Russell, and Sanuiel Dorr, were appointed a Commit- 
tee upon districting the town and further systematizing the schools. 
These gentlemen, all now deceased, entered upon the work, and originated 
what has ever since, with slight variation, been our school system. They 
reported that it would " improve ihc order of the schools if each should be 
considered as consisting of two divisions; one for Writing and Arithme 
tic, and the other for Reading, and the other branches of an Knglish edu- 
cation ; that when a child entered one of these divisions he should be con- 
sidered a member of, and be required to attend upon, the other; that the 
masters of both should have a concurrent jurisdiction over all the pupils 
in respect to discipline and instruction, — both divisions being accommo- 
dated with separate rooms in the same building." This plan was pleasing 
to the Committee, and the erection of the Boylston school-honse, and the 
creation of a new Writing School in Franklin Hall, over the Reading 
School in Nassau street, made it so convenient to adopt it, that it was com- 
menced, and has so continued until the present day, with such variations 
as have been noted under the dilTerent schools. It was by this Committee, 
and at the same lime, that the '• Franklin " School was named, and Mr. 
Webb of the Centre was transferred to the new Writing School, who la- 
bored in conjunction with Mr. Payson of the Reading Schonl. Mr. Snell- 
ing's Writing School in the Latin School-House, School street, was discon- 
tinued, and he look Mr. Webb's place in Mason street, where Mr. Haskell 
was Master of the Grammar School. The West Schools, under IMessrs. 
Perkins and Holt, in Hawkins street, became one. as well as the North 
.schools in Bennet street, under IMessrs. Crosby and Tilestun, and !\Iasters 
were elected to the Boylston Schools, on F< rt Hill, thus making five 
schools each with two departments and two mastcr.«i. 



238 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 



The system worked well, with only such accidental frictions as are con- 
sequent upon all similar arrangements, and for twenty years brought about 
good results. In 1830, however, strong efforts were made for ''reform" 
and change, and with partial success ; but very much of bitter feeling and 
strong partisan prejudice was excited among members of the Committee. 
The changes, such as they were, did not work well, however, from what- 
ever cause, and in a few years the schools were all again organized upon 
the plan of 1819, and so continued till the memorable " campaigns " of 
1846-47, following in the blaze of the battle between the " Thirty-One," 
and the Honorable Secretary of the Board of Education. Changes again 
occurred, noted under the respective schools, and whatever practical good 
or evil may result from either old or new plans, it is no doubt true, that so 
much harmony of feeling, confidence, and good will between committees 
and teachers, and esprit du corps among the teachers themselves,, never 
existed as at the present lime. 

The establishment of the boy's High School in 1821, was another pro- 
gressive step in popular education, and its complete success not only sat- 
isfied the most sanguine expectations of its friends and promoters, but at 
length gave an impulse to a similar provision for the girls of the city. 
The Rev. John Pierpont, for many years a most active member of the 
School Board, look a lively interest in this matter, and in 1825 the project 
was carried into operation. An appropriation was made for it by the City 
Council, it was located in an upper room of the Derne Street school-house, 
under the charge of that accomplished teacher, the late Ebenezer Bailey, 
Esq., — but it did not meet with that warm sympathy and determined 
zeal necessary to overcome all the impediments in the way of its complete 
success, and after two or three years it was finally abandoned. 

The Institution of the Franklin Medals took place in the year 1792, and 
have since been one of the most interesting, and we sincerely believe, useful 
features in the schools. These are of silver, six in number, presented on 
the day of the annual exhibition, to the most deserving pupils, — "gen- 
eral scholarship taken into consideration," — in each of the respective 
boys' schools, that is full or nearly full They originated from the follow- 
ing clause of the will of Dr. Franklin, who died April 17, 1790 : — 

" I was bom in Boston, New England, and owe my first instructions in 
literature to the free grammar schools established there. I therefore give 
one hundred pounds sterling to my executors, to be by them, the survivors 
or survivor of them, paid over to the managers or directors of the free 
schools in my native town of Boston, to be by them, or those person or 
persons, who shall have the superintendence and management of the said 
schools, put out to interest, and so continued at interest forever, which in- 
terest annually shall be laid out in silver medals, and given as honorary 
rewards annually by the directors of the said free schools, for the encour- 
agement of scholarship in the said schools belonging to the said town, in 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 



239 



such manner as to the discretion of the selectmen of the said town shall 
seem meet." 

This donation has been successfully applied. The fund now (1848) 
amounts to $1,000, which is invested in five per cent, city stock. The 
interest is annually appropriated for purchasing medals, which are distrib- 
uted in the schools. 

A litile more than two years after Franklin's decease, this gift became 
available, and a Committee, consisting of William Tudor, Esq., Kev. Mr. 
Clarke, and Mr. Charles Bulfinch, was appointed "to ascertain the ex- 
pense of procuring medals to carry into effect the intention of the late Dr. 
Franklin, in his donation." The Committee reported in the matter, 
awarding twenty-one medals, — three to the Latin, three to each of the 
Grammar, and three to each of the Writing Schools. That report has 
been the basis of apportionment from that time to this, although the fund 
amounts to but $ 1,000 vested in five per cent, city stock, yielding only 
$oO per annum, while the cost of the 68 Franklin Medals for 1843, 
amounts to $136, — thus leavmg more than one half the "Franklin" 
Medals to be paid for out of the city treasury. We have thought it worth 
while to have a fac-simile of the original Medal engraved, from the draw- 
ing on record. On one side is an open book, surmounted by two pens 
crossed, encircled by the words "The Gift of Franklin." In June, 1795, 
it was determined that the device on those designed for the Laiin Gram- 
mar School should be a "pile of books, the words — Detur digniori — 
inscribed on the same side." 




The old dies have been worn out, and renewed two or three times, and 
the appearance of the Medals somewhat changed. William Savage, one of 
the original recipients, lost his, it having been stolen from his house, and 
he petitioned to the city for a new one in 1820, which was readily granted. 

On the reverse of the original Medal, were the words found in the fac- 
simile. 



240 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 



The inscription on liie reverse of the Latin Medals differed slightly 
from the others. It ran "Franklin's Donation adjudged by the School 
Committee of the town of Boston, to A. B." 

We have inserted the name of Dr. Warren, because it stands as the very 
first on the record, he being then a pupil of the Latin School. We know 
not how the venerable man regards this distinction among other honors of 
his brilliant and successful career, but we have heard it said that the Hon. 
James Savage has, not very remotely, remarked, that " he looked upon the 
day he took a Franklin Medal as the proudest of his life." The Boston 
Almanac for the year 1849, from which these materials are taken, contains 
the names of the first Medal Scholars in each school. 

Through some means, — certainly not by the authority of the phraseol- 
ogy in the will, — the custom has been perpetuated of giving these med- 
als to boys only. When Franklin went to the schools, to be sure, only 
boys attended upon them ; but this makes no law against bestowing his 
medals upon female pupils. To remedy this inconsistency, the School 
Committee, in 1821, voted to give an equal number to the girls, calling 
them " City Medals." In the progress of educational discussion, how- 
ever, strong ground has been taken against all such motives to emulation, 
and by some of our most judicious educators, — although we think mis- 
takenly, — and in 1847 they were refused to the girls, the boys receiving 
them 'only because no power existed to annul Franklin's will. In 1848. 
however, a reaction look place, mainly through the commendable zeal of 
Mr. Joseph M. Wightman, and the City Medals have been restored, and 
it is hoped may be continued. In addition to the medals to the first class, 
six handsome diplomas of merit are now awarded to each of the three 
lower classes in all the schools, — so far as it is known, with happy and 
healthful influences. 

Specific names to the schools did not exist previous to the year 1821, if 
we except the Franklin and the Boylston. It was ordered in 1819, "that 
the School now located in Nassau street, take the name of ' Franklin,' in 
honor of the benefactor of the Schools," and the Schools on Fort Hill 
were known as the "Boylston Schools" from their commencement in 
1318. The others were known by the localities, till the year above men- 
tioned, 1821, when a Committee, appointed for the express purpose, 
reported that "the propriety and expediency of giving specific names 
cannot be doubted," and recommended that thereafter the school in Ben- 
net street be called the "Eliot," — that in Hawkins street, the "May- 
hew," — that in Mason street, the "Adams," — the "Franklin" and 
" Boylston " be so continued, — and that in School street be named the 
" Latin " School. The other Schools have been named as they were insti- 
tuted, a custom having obtained of taking the names of the Mayors as far 
they will go. The names of Mr. Davis and Mr. Armstrong, are the only 
ones of the Mayors not so honored, — but doubtless they will yet be. 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 



>i-ll 



The va^t progress that has been made in the system of instruction, and 
the chariicier of the schools, has been fully equalled in the iniprovenienl of 
the school-houses. To those who remember the small rooms, the incon- 
venient forms, and the torturing benches of the old schools, the present 
noble buildings, and spacious, convenient, and finely-furnished rooms are 
a perfect luxury. But the greatest of all the improvements in this partic- 
ular, have reference to ventilation. This is a new feature in their excel- 
lence, added within the last two years, — and probably there are not twen- 
ty public buildings in the world that can equal them in this respect. For- 
merly the rooms in these school- houses, like most other school-rooms 
throughout the country, were warmeii in winter by close stoves, without 
any means of ingress or egress of air, except through the doors or windows, 
and the same air with which the school started in the morning, was liable 
to remain in the school-room till night, circulating only through the lungs 
of the scholars, and over the surface of the hot iron stove. The well- 
known school-house odor was perceptible to a visitant before he crossed 
the threshold of the outer doors. These evils are now completely reme 
died in Boston, and the public school-rooms, both in winter and summer, 
are now at all times supplied with a wholesome atmosphere of an agree- 
able temperature. 

The mode of ventilation adopted for the winter season, consists, first, in 
admitting a large quantity of moderately warmed air into the room, either 
through a furnace, or through a stove constructed on the principle of a fur- 
nace ; and, secondly, in discharging an equal quantity of air from the 
room through ventilators. The warmed air is introduced at one extremity 
of the room, and the place of discharge of air is at the opjaosite extremity. 
Hence all the air admitted into the room passes over the whole area, and 
escapes after it hais been used in the respiration of the scholars. The 
ventiducts that take off the foul air extend from the flooring of the room 
through the ceiling, and through the roof of the building, where they are 
surmounted by ventilators. In each ventiduct there are two apertures to 
receive the air from the room, one at the flooring, and one at the ceiling. 

The improvement to our schools, txiih moral and physical, consequent 
on their ventilation, can hardly be too highly appreciated, and it is but 
just that, in this connection, credit should be bestowed upon tho.se to 
whom we are indebted for it. Mr. Combe, in one of his lectures in this 
city, about the year lS-t3, urged this subject upon his hearers, and a writer 
in the "Teacher of Health " took his te.xt from him, and urged some 
pointed facts. This article attracted the attention of a member of th-*. 
School Committee, Mr. F. Emerson, who caused it to be printed and cir- 
culated in some public rooms. esj)ecially badly ventilated, and some im- 
provements ensued. From that time increased attention has been given 
to the subject ; Mr. Emerson has invented and perfer;i.'d an improved ven- 
tilator, whose utility is only surpassed by its extreme .simplicity. Its pe- 



242 PUBLIC faCHOOLS. 



culiar top may be seen extending from the roof of the Mayhew School, as 
well as several others in the engravings. It was not till the year 1847, 
that appropriations were made by the City Council, to ventilate the school- 
rooms, and to the scientific and efficient services of Dr. Henry G. Clark of 
the School Committee are we mainly obligated for the successful issue of 
this vast improvement. Dr. Clark's reports, and records of experiments, 
are documents of infinite value, and the health and comfort of thousands 
of children, in all coming time, will be largely indebted to his philanthro- 
py, together with that of the other gentlemen who have cooperated with 
him. 

It remains to notice but one new feature in our educational system, and 
that is the election of a superintendent of all the Public Schools in the 
City. Tlie creation of such an office began to be urged as important 
about eight years since, and was warmly discussed, meeting as strong op- 
position as any measure ever proposed. It is not necessary here to de- 
tail any of the arguments upon either side, which were frequently brought 
forward both in the Board of School Committee and the Common Council, 
until the Committee of 1851 formally voted that such an office would be 
advantageous to the scholars, and applied to the Council for an appropria- 
tion of $ 2,500 for the salary of such an officer. 

Recapitulation. — Masters 36 ; Sub-Masters 5 ; Ushers 20 ; Assistants 
121 ; Pupils 367 in Grammar School ; English High School 121 ; Lat- 
in School 59; total, 547; Deer Island 121 ; House of Reformation 211; 
Whole number in Grammar School, 10,032. 

We had intended to give some idea of the modes of discipline practised 
in our schools, before the "masterly inactivity" of the rod and ferule. 
But limits forbid it, and we must conclude our sketch. Our schools are 
worthy of our pride, and are to be cherished as of the utmost importance 
to the perpetuity of freedom. Education is the corner-stone of liberty, 
and we cannot better close than by quoting the recent language of Presi- 
dent Everett. " I hold. Sir, that to read the English language well, that is, 
with intelligence, feeling, spirit, and effect; — to write with despatch, a 
neat, handsome, legible hand (for it is, after all, a great object in writing 
to have others able to read what you write), and to be master of the four 
rules of Arithmetic, so as to dispose at once with accuracy of every ques- 
tion of figures which comes up in practical life ; — I say I call this a good 
education ; and if you add the ability to write grammatical English, with 
the help of very few hard words, I regard it as an excellent education. 
These are the tools, — you can do much with them, but you are helpless 
without them, — they are the foundation ; and unless you begin with these, 
all your flashy attainments, a little natural philosophy, and a little mental 
philosophy, a little physiology and a little geology, and all the other olo- 
gies and osophies, are but ostentatious rubbish." 

The Council readily passed -he appropriation, and on the 13th of May, 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 2 13 



after eight ballotings, the choice of the Commiilee fell upon Nathan 
Bishop, Esq., then Superintendent of the Schools in Providence, R. I. 
On the Saturday following, His Honor, Mayor Bigelow, formally intro- 
duced that gentleman to the teachers, at the Council Room, in a pertinent 
speech, which was responded to by Mr. Bishop, accepting the office, and 
pledging his hearty cooperation to the Masters in all their labors. Mr. 
Stierwin, in behalf of the Masters, welcomed his appointment, and with 
the best possible circumstances, the new functionary came to his new la- 
bor to test the result of what all regard as an experiment, — which it is 
hoped may eventuate to the increased eminence and usefulness of our 
school system. His duties are thus defined by the School Board. 

" The Superintendent, in the discharge of his duties, shall act in accord- 
ance with the established regulations of the Public Schools, and in all 
cases be subordinate to the School Committee, and act under their ad- 
vice and direction. 

'• He shall examine the Public Schools, and, semi-annually, shall present 
a report to the Board, of their condition, and shall suggest by what meas- 
ures their efficiency and usefulness may be increased, and whether by any 
means the expenses of our school system can be diminished without prej- 
udice to its interests. 

" He shall at all times render such aid and communicate such informa- 
tion to the Sub-Committees as they may require of him; and he shall also 
assist in the annual examination in such manner, as shall be desired by 
the annual Examining Committee. 

" He shall devote himself to the study of our School System, and of the 
condition of the Schools, and shall keep himself acquainted with the prog- 
ress of instruction and discipline in other places, in order to suggest ap- 
propriate means for the advancement of the Public Schools in this city. 

"He shall make investigations as to the number and the condition of 
the children in the city, who are not receiving the benefits ofTered by the 
Public Schools, and, so far as is practicable, shall find out the reasons 
and .suggest the remedies. 

"He shall consult with the different bodies, who have control in the 
building and altering of school-houses, and with all those through whom, 
either directly or indirectly, the school money is expended, that there may 
result more uniformity in their plans, and more economy in their expen- 
ditures. 

" He shall perform such other duties as the School Committee shall pre- 
scribe, or from lime to lime direct." 



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PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 



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CONCLUSION. 24.J 



CONCLUSION. 

Wb cannot better close the present sketch of Boston and of a portion 
of its public institutions, than by using the observations of a contempo- 
rary, in reference to the influence of the Commonwealth. 

Massachusetts has always been eminent among the American States. 
Her metropolis has ever been the metropolis of New England. Her ex- 
ample has been imitated and her influence has been felt, wherever the 
sons of New England are found, or the name of New England is known. 
Her deeds are such as to justify even her own sons for an allusion to 
them. 

Her Puritan forefathers established the first system of self-government, 
combining law and order with liberty and equality, and based upon pure 
morality, universal education, and freedom in religious opinion, as the 
only foundation which can insure its permanency and prosperity. And 
in her cradle was rocked the first child that drew its first breath under its 
benign influence. 

She has her Concord, her Lexington, and her Bunker Hill, all marked as 
the first battle-fields in that great struggle which severed the children 
from the parent, and made them free ; into their soil was poured the 
blood of the most worthy and the most noble patriots the world has ever 
known ; and " the bones of her sons, falling in the great struggle for in- 
dependence, now lie mingled with the soil of every State from New Eng- 
land to Georgia, and there they will lie for ever." 

The thirteen united colonies furnished for the regular service of the 
Revolutionary army, besides militia, 231,779 men, — an average of 17,830 
each. Of these, Massachusetts furnished 67,907, or 29 per cent, of the 
whole, 35,963 more than any other State, and 50,077 men more than, or 
nearly four times, her equal proportion. And she poured out her treasure 
for the outfit and support of her sons in the regular or militia service, and 
for the support of their families whom they left behind, and for other 
public purposes, in nearly the same proportion, and with the same liberal 
hand, as she did her physical force and her blood. 

She established, more than two hundred years ago, and near the begin- 
ning of her existence, free schools, open alike to all ; and they have been 
cherished and supported, from that time to the present, by money drawn 
from the treasuries of towns, replenished by taxes on the inhabitants. 
She expended in this way, in 1349, for these free schools, 8830,577.33, — 
a sum equal to $3.87 for every child in the Stale between the ages of four 
and sixteen. The whole State has been dotted over with school-houses, 
like " sparkling diamonds in the heavens," giving intellectual light to 
all that come within their sphere. 



246 CONCLUSION. 



She established in the United Stales the first system for the public 
registration of birtlis, marriages, and deaths, by which the personal his- 
tory and identity, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants, may be 
ascertained. She founded the first Blind Asylum ; the first State Reform 
School; and aided in founding the first Deaf and Dumb Asylum; and 
her money, public and private, has flowed freely in the support of all the 
noble charities and religious enterprises of the age. 

One of her sons first introduced into the United States the remedy of 
vaccination for the prevention of imall-pox, which has deprived that 
terrific disease of its power, whenever used, and rendered its approach 
generally harmless. Another of her sons has the honor of making the 
great discovery of etherization, by means of whose wonderful capabilities 
the surgeon's instrument is deprived of its sting, and labor of its sorrow ; 
the operator is permitted to pursue his work undisturbed, while the pa- 
tient remains passive, unconscious, and unmoved by the horrors which 
without it might be inflicted. The blessings of this great prevention of 
human suffering are already acknowledged and felt the world over. 

For these and very many other useful and honorable deeds, which might 
be specified, she has been named, by distinguished men of other States 
and countries, "the forefather's land," "the moral State," " the en- 
lightened State," "the patriotic State," " the philanthropic Slate," " the 
leading Slate," " the pattern State," " the noble Slate," " the glorious 
old Bay State." And many an ejaculation has gone up in all sincerity, 
" God bless her ; " " God save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ! " 



"Citizens op Boston! — Consider your blessings; consider your 
duties. You have an inheritance acquired by the labors and sufferings 
of six successive generations of ancestors." 



EOXBURY, NORFOLK COUNTY. 




RoxRURY was settled in the year 1030, in which year it was incorporated 
as a town. Its surface is uneven, and in numerous places rocky ; afford- 
ing many beautiful sites for dwelling-houses, gardens, and other improve- 
ments. Much taste is displayed throughout in the construction of coun- 
try seats, pleasure grounds, fruit and flower gardens. 

In the year 1827 omnibuses commenced running between Roxbury and 
Boston, making a trip every hour. Now the intercourse is so general be- 
tween the two cities, that a coach leaves the Norfolk House eight titres 
every hour. Coaches also run from Mount Pleasant and other parts of the 
city several limes every hour. The cars of the Providence Railroad Con> 
pany stop at two stations provided for the accommodation of the many 
Boston merchants who reside in Roxhury. These stations are 2^ and 5 
miles, respectively, from the Boston depot. Fare by the omnibus 6 cents ; 
by the cars 8 cents. 

Roxbury was the residence of the celebrated apostle of the Indians, 
John Eliot, in 1632, to whose memory a monument has been erected in 



ROXBURY, NORFOLK COUNTY. 



Forest Hills Cemetery. Here General Warren, the hero of Bunker Hill, 
was born in 1740. 

Roxbury now contains 4 Unitarian churches, 1 Universalist, 3 Baptist, 
2 Episcopal, 2 Orthodox, 1 Methodist, and 1 Roman Catholic. The 
AthenjBum, adjoining the Norfolk House, contains about 3,000 volumes. 

The population of Roxbury in 1845 was 13,929, and in 1850 about 18,000. 
The principal hotel is the Norfolk House, situated on an eminence which 
commands a beautiful vievv of Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and the 
harbor. In addition to this, is the public house known as 




GROVE HALL. 

The above cut represents Grove Hall, a public house now resorted lo \i\ 
parlies from Boston. It is^distant from Boston ahunt 4 mile.s and vva^ 
formerly the residence of T. K Jones, Esq., an eminent merchant of tlie 
city. 

Roxbury, until 1851, embraced 10,636 acres, and has remained essential- 
ly the same in extent for 220 years. A charter was granted to it as a city 
in 1S46, which was accepted by popular vole on the 25th of March in 
that year; the vote being 836 yeas to 192 nays. The city was there- 
upon divided into eight wards. In the year 1849, the city purchased the 
property known as Brook Farm (for some years used by the Fourierite as- 
sociation) at a cost of $ 20,000, and converted it into a Poor Farm for the 
employment of paupers. 

In 1851 the city was divided by an act of the legislature, and now con- 
sists of Roxbury with a population of about $ 15,000, and West Roxbury 
with a population of about 3,000. 

West Roxbury, as a separate town, now comprises what was formerly 
called West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain, and is one of the most magnifi- 



ROXBURY, NORFOLK COUNTY. 



cent towns in the Commonwealth. It contains about 7,500 acres of land 
Jamaica Plain, with its beautiful lake, is known the world over as the 
most charming place in the vicinity of Boston, renowned as she is for her 
suburbs. The territory of West Roxbury is not so well known, and it is 
not too much to say that a very large portion of this part of the new town 
contains some of the most desirable locations for elegant country resi- 
dences that are to be found, fully equal to the best part of Brookline, Wa- 
(ertown, or Cambridge. 




L 



ROXBLRV HOUSE, OR TAFT'S HOTEL. 

Thjs house has been occupied about fifty years as a hotel. It is on the 
Dedham turnpike, six miles from the old State-House in B();<lon. I\Ir. Taft, 
the present proprietor, has been the landlord upwards of forty years. Par- 
ties visiting this part of West Roxbury, will find ready access by the Ded- 
ham Braj^ch railroad, which has a station within fifty yards of the hotel- 
Taft's hotel is in that portion now termed West lloxbury. 

Roxbury has been for some years too accessible for the foreign paupers, 
who arrive by thousands at Boston. In the last five years the relative 
increase of foreign and native population has been 91. r)8 per cent, of the 
former, to 6.64 per cent, of the latter. During the last year, Ro.xbury 
supported 1,122 State paupers, or about one fifteenth of all the State j)au' 
pers in the Commonwealth. 

There are remains yet to be observed of the Revolutionary fortifications. 



ROXBURY. 



1 



FOREST HlliliS CEMETERY, ROXBURY, 

Is situated between the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike, Walk Hill, Can- 
terbury and Scarborough streets, and includes an area of about seventy 
acres, a large portion of which is covered with most of the varieties of 
trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants which are indigenous to New England. 
The topographical features are diversified in a remarkably picturesque and 
impressive manner, by numerous hills, valleys, glades, precipitous cliffs, 
isolated masses of moss-covered rocks, dales, and lakes. 

Avenues. — The carriage avenues and foot-paths have been laid out on 
the principles of landscape gardening, in such a manner as to render the 
approach to all parts of the ground facile and beautiful ; and so numerous 
and extensive are they, that the aggregate length of the former exceeds 
three miles, and of the latter two ; but when the whole of them have been 
completed, there will be nearly five miles of avenues, and three of foot- 
paths. 

Burial Lots. — The burial lots are fifteen feet wide, and twenty feel 
deep, with spaces between them six feet wide. There are borders six feel 
in width on each side of all the avenues and paths, which, with the spa- 
ces between Ihe lots, may be ornamented by the cultivation of trees, 
shrubs, and flowering plants, by the proprietors of the lots ; and in the 
event that it is not done by them, it will be by the Commissioners. The 
avenues are sixteen feet wide, and the paths six, which are to be defined 
by lines of sods one foot wide. The surfaces of the avenues and paths 
will be gravelled and made slightly convex, with a gutter on each side for 
conducting off the water. The foundations of both will be formed of 
stone, from two to three feet deep, as the earth is required for grading lots, 
and the materials for filling up the excavations can be obtained from va- 
rious parts of the grounds in sufficient quantity for that purpose. This 
mode of constructing the avenues and paths will not only insure a perfect 
drainage, but render them so substantial that the labor and expense of an- 
nual repairs will be greatly diminished. Not only the stones for the 
road-beds, but excellent gravel, for the completion and replenishment of all 
the thoroughfares, can be obtained within the Cemetery. 

Prominences. — The range of four heights in the south-western portion 
of the grounds has been designated as the Eliot Hills, to commemorate the 
name and pious labors of the venerated John Eliot, who was appointed 
" Teacher " in the first Church in Roxbury, in 1632 ; over which he pre- 
sided for nearly sixty years. He founded the first Indian Protestant 
church in North America, in Natick ; and such was his holy zeal to civilize 
the savages, that he translated the whole of the Scriptures into the lan- 
guage of the Natick tribe, and a number of other religious works, from 
which he justly obtained the title of the APOSTLE ELIOT. 

Two hills on the northern side of the Cemetery have received the names 



FOREST HU.LS CEMETERY. 



of Consecration and Chapel, as the services of the consecration were per- 
formed on the eastern slope of the former, and the other has been appro- 
priated as the site for a sacred temple, where funeral rites may be per- 
formfid, in conformity to the mode which has been adopted by the various 
religious sects. 

Warren Hill. — The largest hill south of the former, bears the name 
of the most honored, native-born citizen of Roxbury, — WARREN, — the 
illustrious patriot and hero, who gloriously fell in the ever-memorable bat- 
tle of BUNKER HILL, while gallantly contending for the FREEDOM 
and INDEPENDENCE of his country. 

Snoio-Flake Cliff. — A lofty rocky eminence, west of Lake Dell, is 
called Snow-Flake Cliff, from a rare and beautiful American plant, which 
is found in a meadow near its base. 

Elevations. — There are five other hills, which have been named 
Fountain. Dearborn, Clover. Strawberry, and Juniper. On the first the 
office of the Commissioners has been erected, and in front of it a sundial 
has been placed upon a rough bowlder, which is covered with lichens, to 
which a brass plate with the following epigraph has been secured, 
HORAS NON NUMERO NISI SERENAS. 

A rustic OBSERVATORY has been formed round a large oak tree ou 
the summit of Consecration Hill, twenty-five feet high, and vistas have 
been opened through the grove of trees which surround it, in such a man- 
ner as to reveal to persons standing in the gallery which surmounts it, the 
entire range of the Blue Hills, and portions of the villages of Randolph, 
Milton, Dorchester, Quincy, Jamaica Plain, Brookline, Brighton, and 
Cambridge, Dorchester Bay, and several of the islands in that broad ex- 
panse of water. Each of the other hills commands views of greatly di- 
versified interest and beauty. 

Fountain Hill Spring. — Near the northeastern base of Fountain Hill 
is a natural SPRING, which has been enlarged and surrounded by an em- 
bankment covered with rough stones and wild plants ; and over a portion 
of it a flat stone has been placed to preclude the sun's rays from the water. 
On the front side of a large stone which surmounts that over the eastern 
portion of the spring, a bronze tablet lias been affixed, with the following 
inscription, 

WHOSOEVER DRINKETH OF THIS WATER WILL THIRST 

again; but the water that I shall give, WILL 

BE IN HIM A WELL OF WATER SPRINGING UP INTO 
EVERLASTING LIFE. 

Tlie small lake east of Consecration Hill, has been designated Woodbine 
M^re, and two other lakes will be formed by excavating the meadow east 
of Mount Warren and Fountain Hill, by removing the loam as a valuable 
material for covering the lots after iViey have been graded, previous to the 

sods being laid, 

- ■ ■ . i ■ 



WEST ROXBURY. 



The grounds have been inclosed in most of their extent by a substantial 
pale fence, seven feet high, supported by excellent red cedar posts, which 
were all obtained from the cemetery grounds, and over a thousand were 
required for that purpose. 

Entrances. — The chief gateway has a front of one hundred and sixty 
feet. The carriage entrance is through an Egyptian portico, twenty-four 
feet high and forty in width at the foundation. It was copied from the 
ancient portico at Garsery, above the first cataract of the Nile, and is em- 
bellished by two massive columns, richly sculptured, and a winged globe 

on the entablature of the exterior side. On each side of the main gate 

*. 
are lodges for the superintendent's office and for the gale-keeper. These 

three structures, and the piers for the small gates and tennini of the 

gateway have been painted and sanded in such a manner as to resemble 

Jersey freestone. 

The fences between the large gateway and the lodges, as well as all the 
gates, are formed of round pales over two inches in diameter, which are 
alternately surmounted with lotus blossoms, and buds, and have been paint- 
ed to resemble bronze. 

Inscription. — On the external architrave is the following inscription in 
metallic gilded letters, 

THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I 
WILL FEAR NO EVIL. 

On the interior architrave are these words of our Saviour, and the date 
of consecration, 

I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. 

Consecrated June 2S, 1848. 

There are entrances on the southern side of the Cemetery, from Walk 
Hill street, and on the eastern, from Canterbury street, through gates 
supported by Egyptian piers, which have been painted and sanded like 
the large gateway. 

Terms for Lots. — The price of a lot containing three hundred square 
leet, has been established at sixty dollars ; but a smaller quantity of land, 
from a half to a sixth of a lot, can be purchased, at twenty cents per foot, 
in many parts of the grounds ; and there is a large compartment, on the 
southern side of the Cemetery, called the field of machpelah, which is 
inclosed by an arbor vitae hedge, and the area divided by foot paths and 
embellished with trees and shrubs, in which a grave can be secured for 
seven dollars ; while on the eastern side a tract has been appropriated for 
the interment of deceased persons, free of expense, if their friends are un- 
able to pay for a place of sepulchre in neither of the other positions which 
have been named. 

Approach froTn Boston. — The distance from Guild Hall, over the turn- 
pike, and through Forest Hill and Scarborough streets to the Cemetery, 



FOREST HILLS CEMETERY. 



has been measured, and ascertained to be only two miles and three quar- 
ters, and that route is one of the most nn-al and interesting in the environs 
of the capital. On returning, the ride or walk may be varied, by passing 
out of the Cemetery at the southern gate, and proceeding through Jamai- 
ca Pond village to Tremont street ; or through the eastern gate into Can- 
terbury street, and from thence by East or Warren streets, to Washington 
or Harrison streets; or, on leaving the northern Egyptian gateway, and 
passing from Forest Hill into Walnut street, another line of communica- 
tion is afforded with Washington street, which with Tremont and Har- 
rison streets constitute the great avenues connecting Boston withRoxbury. 
But each of those lines of travel presents numerous deviations, which 
will admit of a ride being extended through the northwestern part of 
Dorchester to South Boston ; or the northeastern portions of Brookline 
and Brigliton to Cambridge, and from tlience by crossing the bridge, or 
from the two preceding towns, over the Western avenue to Boston. 
There are also numerous picturesque drives south of the Cemetery, which 
may be united with most of the roads that have been named, should it be 
desirable to extend an excursion into the country, when the forest 
crowned hills, umbrageous valleys, verdant fields, and numerous orchards 
and gardens, are arrayed in all their diversified magnificence, and the air 
is redolent with the aroma of vernal or summer flowers, or 



-the ripe harvest of the ne\V-mown hay 



Gives it a sweet and wholesome odor." 

Progress. — Since the consecration of the Cemetery, on the twenty- 
eighth day of June, 18-lS, nearly five hundred lots have been sold, — over a 
hundred have been inclosed with iron fences, — seventy monuments have 
been erected, and there have been four hundred and ninety interments. 

Trees. — A nursery was commenced in 1849 for raising forest and other 
ornamental trees and shrubs, to be set out in such portions of the groimds 
as may be required. Besides over 30,000 plants, which have been raised 
from the seed, — including the elm, rock and white maple, beech, ash, 
chestnut, yellow, white, red and English oaks, horsechestnut, mountain 
ash, hickory, black walnut, and other trees, there have been imported 
from England and set out in the nursery, and various parts of the ceme- 
tery, 20.750 trees and shrubs, including twenty-two kinds. 

There have been expended in the construction of the Avenues and Foot 
Paths, the erection of Gateways and Fences, and other purposes of im- 
provement and embellishment, with the interest on the cost of the land, 
between thirty and forty thousand dollars, all of which has been received 
for lots and for preparing them for interment. 

Conclusion. — The results which have so far been attained are much 
more favorable than was anticipated within so short a period, and fully 
illustrate the propriety of having thus early laid the foundation of an e^- 



8 



wErif Roxmjur. 



tablishmeiU which will annually increase in grandeur and importance; 
for there must finally repose a large portion of the present, and of all the 
future generations of Roxbury, until " the dust shall return to the earth as 
it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." The living ol 
each successive year will be anxious, from the dictates of affection, respect, 
and piety, to establish and perpetuate the sepulchres of revered relatives and 
honored friends in such a retired, umbrageous, magnificent, and sacred gar 
den, which will continually augment the number and variety of funereal 
monuments, as well as insure the erection of such other structures as may 
be deemed expedient, and thus ultimately render the grounds as eminently 
distinguished for the admirable manner in which the rural and artistical 
embellishments shall have been harmoniously combined, as they are for 
appropriateness of location, — the best to subserve the holy purpose for 
which they were solemnly consecrated. 

Entrance to Forest Hills Cemetery. 




It is proposed to erect a suitable monument in the Forest Hills Cemetery 
to the memory of the Apostle Eliot, of whom it was said by Mather: 
"There is a tradition amongst us, that the country could never perish, sfi 
long as Eliot was alive." And by the Rev. Thomas Shephard : " I think 



FOREST HILLS CEMETERY. 



we can never love and honor this man of God enough." It has been esti- 
mated that the expense of an appropriate monument will not exceed four 
ihou^aMil dollars, and it is confidently believed that not only the citizens 
of the city and town of Roxbury, but all who were born in Massachusetts, 
wherever they may reside, will cheerfully aid in doing honor to that illus- 
trious Patriarch, who may truly be considered as one of the earliest and 
most eminent benefactors of New England. 

The superintendence and management of the Cemetery have been con- 
fined to five Commissioners, and the proceeds of the sales of lots are ex- 
clusively devoted, by an Act of the hgislature, to the payment for the 
land and the improvement and embellishment of the Cemetery. 

Commissioners of Forest Hills Ceinetery, June, 1851. 
H. A. S. Dearborn, Alvah Kittredge, Francis C. Head, Henry 
CoDMAN, George R. Russell. Superintendent, Daniel Brims. 

Forest Hills Cemetery is about 5 miles from the Boston Stale House. 
Those who wish to visit the Cemetery from Boston can procure carriages 
at a cost of one dollar per hour. No tickets of admission are required. 
Access may be readily had, also, by means of the Dedham Branch Railroad, 
distance five miles from the Boston depot in Pleasant Street. Tliere are 
eight trains daily, which slop at the Cemetery station, about one third of 
a mile from the southern entrance. Fare fifteen cents. 

By an act of the legislature passed in 18.51, the Cemetery of Forest 
Hills forms a part of the new town of West Roxbury, but is free from tax- 
ation. 

Churches in Roxbury, 1851. 

Name. Location. Pastor. 

First Church. Eliot Square. Rev. George Putnam, D.D. 

Second Unitarian Church. West Roxbury. Rev. Dexter Clapp. 

Third Unitarian Society. Jamaica Plain. Rev. G. Reynolds. 

Ml. Pleasant Congregational Ch. Dudley Street. Rev. W. R. Alger. 

First Baptist Chiirch. Dudley Street. Rev. T. D. Anderson. 

Second Baptist Church. Jamaica Plain. Rev. W. Hague. 

Third Baptist Cluirch. Ruggles Street. Rev. J. S. Shailer. 

Fir-st Universalist Church. Dudley Street. Rev. W. H. Ryder. 

St. James's (Episcopal) Church. St. James St. Rev. J. Wayland, D. D. 

St. John's (Episcopal) Church. Jamaica Plain. Rev. E. F. Stafier. 

Eliot Cluirch (Presbyterian). Keuihvorth St. Rev. A. C. Thomson. 

West Roxbury Society. Centre Street. Rev. C. Marsh. 

First Methodist Episcopal Ch. Williams St. Rev. L. Boyden. 

St. Joseph's Church (R. C.) Circuit Street. Rev. P. O. Beirne. 



10 



LYNN. 



liYNN, ESSEX COUNTY. 




Eastern Railroad Station, Lynn. 

Lynn was first settled in the year 1629, having received its name from 
Lynn Regis, a town in England, from which some of the early settlers 
came. The Indian name of the settlement was Saugus, which is yet re- 
tained as the name of a town between Chelsea and Lynn. 

In the year 164.5 the first iron works in Massachusetts were established 
at Lynn, by order of the general court 

Lynn is about nine miles north from Boston, by way of the Eastern 
Railroad, commencing at Ea.st Boston, and about five miles South of Salem. 
The population in 1S50 was 13,613. The principal business consists in 
the manufacture of ladies' shoes, in which there is a capital of about 
S 1,030,000 invested. The number of shoe factories is 155, the annual prod- 
uct of which is $ 3,430,000. In these factories are employed 295 cutters, 
3,770 workmen or cordwainers, 6,400 females, who are termed binders. In 
1350 there were produced 4.691,000 pairs of womens and children's shoes, 
boots, and gaiters. 

Lynn has at this time fifteen Churches, thirty four Public Schools, one 
Academy, two Banks, one Savings Bank, two Insurance Offices, together 



LYNN. 



il 



with a number of literary, social and charitable iiistiiuiioiis. The enii 
iieiices surrounding the town afford tine views of the harbor and the ocean. 
To visitors the most attractive spot is Hiirh Rock, on which has been 
erected a public house, from which a view of tifteen miles in extent ma., 
be had, including Nahant, Salem, and Boston. In clear weather the Blue 
Hills may be seen nineteen miles distant, also the outline of Cape Cod. 

E.\tensive views may be had also from Forest Rock, Lover's Leap, Pint- 
Hill, Tower Hill, Sagamore Hill, Poquanum Hill, Wenepoykin Hill, and 
other eminences. 

Visitors are recommended to take the cars at East Boston, via the ferry 
fool of Hanover Street. Trains leave at 9 and 10 A. M., and alothei 
hours of the day. Distance nine miles. Fare 25 cents. 

Lynn High School, erected 1850. 




The above cut represents the Lynn High School-house, built in 1850, at 
an expense of $ 9,.500, including also the grading, fencing, &c. The build 
ing itself, which cost $ 7,000, was dedicated January 8, 1851. The main 
schoiil-room id \(i ft;ft square and H) feet in liciL'ht. 



12 



LYNN. 



Lynn Mechanics' Bank Building. 




The above building accommodates the Lynn Mechanics' Bank, the Lynn 
Mechanics' Fire and Marine Insurance Company, and the Lynn Institution 
for Savings. 

The railroad to Boston was opened for travel in the year 1839. The 
Station house is 10 miles 170 rods from Boston, 5 miles 96 rods from Sa- 
lem, 5 miles 184 rods from Marblehead. 

Among the public institutions of Lynn are two banks, viz. the Lynn 
Mechanics' Bank, and the Laighton Bank; one Savings Bank, City Hall, 
Lyceum Hall, Exchange Hall, Sagamore Hall, the Lynn Mechanics' Fire 
and Marine Insurance Company. 

Lynn remained a town until May 13, 1850, when it was incorporated as 
a city. The cities previously incorporated in Massachusetts were Boston, 
Salem, Lowell, Roxbury, Cambridge, Charlestown, New Bedford, and 
Worcester. 

Lynn extends about six miles on the seashore from east to west. In 
the northeastern part of the town is the Village of Gravesend, which oc- 



WATEUTOWN. 



13 



cvi[)ics a plain around a beautiful sluillow water called Weiuichus Lake. 
Tiiere are five other lakes in this neighborhood. The city of Lynn con- 
tains S,:i)6() acres of land, and is rapidly increasing in population and busi- 
ness. The population in 1790 was 2,291, in 1810, 4,087, in 1830, 6,1.38, in 
1810, 9,3G7, and in 1850, 13,613. 




N AH ANT. 

Having examined some of the elevated points near Lynn, the visitor 
sliould then proceed to Nahanl, which is noted as a summer resort for cit- 
izens of Boston. Nahant is a narrow peninsula, three miles in length, at 
the point of which is the Nahant Hotel, one of the most attractive sjk)Is 
in e.iitremcly warm weather. There are several other public houses, which 
are generally well filled with visitors during the summer season. 

A steamboat plies between Boston and Nahanl daily during the summer 
months, leaving Boston at 9 A. M. and returning about 6 P. M. Fare 
2o cents. For the sake of variety, the visitor may return by liailroad 
cars to Boston through Lynn. 



WATERTOWN. 

Watertown is accessible by two railroads : first by tlie Filchburg, and 
si'condly by the Worcester ; the former running directly into the village. 



14 WATERTOWN. 



ami ihe latter taking passengers to Newton Corner, within half a mile of 
the centre of Waterlovvn. The trains are numerous by both routes, tlie 
fare is but 20 cents, and the place may be reached in thirty minutes from 
the city. 

Watertown was settled in the year 1630, by a portion of the Charles- 
town settlers from the West of England. It was in that year determined 
by the General Council, that " Trimounlain be called Boston ; Matiapan. 
Dorchester; and the town on Charles River, Watertown." The leading 
names among the original settlers were Sir Richard Saltonstall (ancestor 
of the families of that name in Salem and other places), Rev. George 
Phillips (the first pastor of the town, and ancestor of many families of 
that name in Boston and vicinity), Coolidge, Stone, Whitney, Brown, and 
Mayhew. Mr. Phillips was succeeded in the ministry by the Rev. John 
Sherman, one of the most eminent men in the early colonies of New Eng- 
land ; and from him are descended several families of the name, now 
among us. 

From investigations that have been made into the early history of 
Watertown, it would seem that its original name was Waterton (and so 
spelt in some of the earliest records), and derived from a small place of 
that name in the West Riding of Yorkshire (England), not far from the 
residence of the then Saltonstall family. 

After the 19th of April, 1775, the Provincial Congress assembled and 
continued their meetings in the old meeting-house of Watertown,- which 
stood on the spot now used as a burial-ground, near the village. The 
Council met in a house now owned by the Fowle family, " selected for the 
purpose on account of its vicinity to the meetinghouse." 

In June, 1773, Watertown became again the seat of government, ia con- 
sequence of the prevalence of the small-pox in Boston. 

In the year 18.36, a new meeting-house was built and dedicated by the 
Congregational Society, on a spot nearer to the centre of the village. In 
the summer of 1841, the new meeting-hou.se was destroyed by fire, and 
in the following year the present beautiful edifice was erected and dedi- 
cated on the same spot. 

The leading object of interest to visitors is the U. S. Arsenal at Water- 
town. The sil.e of this was selected in 1816 by Major Talcot, and the 
State ceded to the General Government the jurisdiction over it, not exceed- 
ing sixty acres. In 1320 the buildings were completed and occupied. The 
ground now occupied is somewhat more than forty acres A new maga- 
zine was erected in 1829. There are now two magazines of stone, of the 
best construction : also two large warehouses, two buildings for officers' 
quarters, two barracks, two workshops, and other buildings. All the build- 
ings are placed on the four sides of a parallelogram, facing the cardinal 
points, the spaces between the buildings being filled by a wall fifteen feet 
in height. The area inclosed is a'onut three hundred and fifty feet by two 



WAlEiiTuWN. 15 



huiiiired and eiirhiy {mil. The niagaziiied are placed al a dijiiance of sev- 
eral hundred feet from the oilier buildings. This cslabiia-iiineiit is both a 
depot and an arsenal of construction. 

Watettawn is 6^ miles from Boston by tlie carriage road through Cam- 
bridge. It is bounded on the north by West Cambridge ; on the east by 
Old Cambridge : on the south by Charles Kiver and by Newton : and on 
the West by Waltham. It is pleasantly situated on the north bank of 
Charles Kiver, which in its beautiful windings decorates the scenery, at 
the same time that it confers more substantial advantages. In extent, 
Waiertown is one. of the smallest towns in the Commonwealth, — there 
being only 3S33 acres, including land and water. This consists of half of 
Cliarles River, 75 acres ; part of Fresh Fond, 58 acres ; small stream and 
pond, 3 acres ; land, including roads, 3697 acres. 

Another object of interest is tlie dwelling of Mr. John P. Cushing, 
about two miles from Harvard University. This is one of the most elabo- 
rate and costly private edifices in New England. The grounds comprise 
abmit si.vty acres, commanding a very extensive prospect, and including 
every tree, shrub, plant and llower that vvill live or flourish in this lati- 
tude. These grounds are laid out with e.xquisite taste, in spacious lawns, 
groves and walks, — extensive outbuildings for maintaining a uniform de- 
gree of temperature throughout the year for tlie cultivation of the flowers 
and fruits of every country and climate of the world. Portions of Fresh 
Pond and Mount Auburn also lie on the eastern borders of the town. 

VVe are indebted for many of these particulars to an interesting "His- 
torical Sketch of Watertown, by Convers Francis, D. D., of Cambridge," 
a pamplilet now scarce, but which should be reproduced for the benefit of 
thousands of the present generation, who would be glad to see tlie sketch 
in a cheap form. 

The valuation of Watertown at the present time, according to the re- 
port of the State Valuation Committee, is S2,lc>0,693, and in that re 
spect is exceeded by only three other towns in the county, viz. Medford, 
Newton, and Waltham. 

There are in tlie town five places of public worship, viz. Unitarian, of 
which Rev. Mr. Davis is pastor; Baptist. P».ev. Mr. Edwards; Metliodist, 
Universalist, and Catholic. The Unitarian Church was fonnerly under 
the charge of the Rev. Dr. Francis, now of Harvard University. It has 
once been destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt with great taste and elegance. 

In this town, one of the first mills for the manufacture of cotton fab- 
rics was established by the late Seth Ecmis. Esq. He was the first in this 
county to manufacture cotton duck, and it shows the great advance made 
in the means of locomotion, to state that Mr. Bemis was in the habit of 
sending his duck to Baltimore and other Southern places in wagons, 
which were gone for a month, or more, bringing home flour, tobacco, and 
other Southern products in return. There is also in the town a paper mill. 



^^^^^BB^E 



C H A E L E S T O W N, 

MIDDLESEX COUNTY. 




Charlestown was settled in the year I62i. It is the oldest town in Mid- 
dlesex County, and one of the oldest ia the State. It derives its name 
from King Charles I., the reigning sovereign of England at that time. Tlie 
Indian name of the settlement was Mishawam. 

The objects well worth visiting in Charlestown are 1. Bunker Hill Mon- 
ument. 2. The Navy Yard. 3. The State Penitentiary. 4. The Ice 
Houses. 

Charlestown is situated on a peninsula, with the harbor on the east, the 
Mystic river and Chelsea on the north ; Charles river on the South ; and 
on the west Somerville, with which it is connected by a narrow strip 
of land called the Neck. With Maiden on the northwest, Charlestown 
is connected by a bridge 2420 feet in length, opened for travel on the 23d of 
September, 1788. A bridge one mile in length leads from the Navy Yard 
due north to Chelsea. This was formerly the great thoroughfare from 
Boston to Salem, via Chelsea and Lynn. Now the bridge is used for local 
travel only, the Eastern Railroad being the general means of conveyance 
lo Lynn, Salem, Newburyport, Nahant, thence to Portsmouth, Portland, 
&c. 

There is here a terminus of the Fitchburg Eailroad, and the depot for 
tlie freight received by this road, from Vermont and portions of Massachu- 
setts. 

Blinker Hill and its monument are nmonij the noted obects in the vi- 



CHAKLESTOWN. 



17 



ciaiiy of Boston. These should not be neglected by the stranger in his 
visit to the metropolis. 

Tlie Nuty Yard. — Admittance to strangers is readily granted. An 
omnibus leaves Brattle street, Boston, every hour for the Navy Yard^. fare 
10 celTts^ or the visitors, after examining the monument, will find the Na- 
vy Yard within five minutes reach, at the foot of Bunker Hill. The walls 
of the yard enclose about sixty acres. At this time the Ohio 74 and the 
Vermont 74 gun ships are moored at the wharf The frigate Independence 
lies a few yards in the stream, and is used as a receiving vessel for new re- 
i-ruits. The timber dock near the dry dock is used as a receptacle for tim- 
l)er. where it is kepi some years, preparatory to its deposit under the large 
lim'ter shed. 

Tile Dry Dock is one of the first objects to visit. Its dimensions are as 
follows : — Length of floor from head mitre sill, 223 feet ; depth of the dock, 
o J feet ; width of body of the dock, 86 feet ; width at top altar, S2 feet ; 
second. 73 feel ; third. 70 feel, &c. ; width of passage at the floating gale. 
61 i feel; whole length of stone work, 2S-?i feet. This work was com- 
menced on the 10th July. 1827. and occupied six years in the course of con- 
stniction, under the direction of Col. Loammi Baldwin. The entire cost 
was S 677.589, including the cost of engine house, engine and pumping 
;\pparatus. The dock was opened for public exhibition on the 21th of June, 



h 



The frigate Constitution was tlie first vessel docked here. 



Bunker Hill Monument should be visited in clear weather only. The 
view from its summit is probably not exceeded in extent or beauty by that 
from any eminence in the country. 

Visitors from Boston can ride over in one of the omnibuses which leave 
Brattle Street every half hour. Distance IJ mile. Fare 10 cents. Ad- 
mission to the monument 12J cents for each person, payable at the en- 
trance. All the money received here is appropriated lo improving the 
grounds and keeping ihem in order. 

The corner-stone of the monument was laid on the 17th of June, 1825, by 
General Lafayette, in the presence of a vast multitude, among whom were 
forty of the survivors of the battle, precisely fifty years after the memora- 
ble battle of Bunker Hill. At the laying of the corner-stone, an address was 
delivered by Daniel Webster. The depth, however, at which the corner- 
stone was laid was insufficient to resist the action of the frost, and anoth- 
er foundation was laid twelve feel under ground, and on the 21st of July, 
1S27, the base, fifty feet in diameter, was completed. The work was su- 
perintended by Mr. Solomon Willard, wlio generously contributed one 
thousand dollars in aid of the monument fund and gave three years' servic- 
es without remuneration. 

The structure consists of ninety courses of Quincy granite (six below 
the surface of the ground and eighty-four above), each course two feel 
ni^hl inches in thickness. The whole quantity of stone used was about 



18 CHAKLESTOWN. 



6700 tons, of which 2300 tons were laid in the first fourteen courses. The 
base is thirty feet square, and the column gradually lessens until it be- 
comes fifteen feet at the apex. 

The inclosure on Bunker Hill, in the centre of which the monument 
stands, contains nearly six acres, being 417 feet from North to South, and 
400 feet from East to West. The work received essential aid from the 
Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics' Association. 

At the great battle o-nthe 17th of June, 1775, there were about eight hun- 
dred of the British killed, and eight hundred wounded and missing. Among 
the killed were not less than eighty otficers. Of the Americans there 
were one hundred killed, and three hundred wounded, and thirty or forty 
missing. The battle began about three o'clock P. M. and continued be- 
tween two and three hours. The number of troops engaged in defence of 
the fort and ground was about 3,000, and that of the British was estima- 
mated at 4,000. 

The foundation of the Monument is laid in lime mortar, the other por- 
tions of the column are laid in lime mortar, intermixed with cinders, iron 
filings, and hydraulic cement. Within the shaft is a round, hollow cone, 
the outside diameter of which is ten feet, and at the top is six feet. This 
hollow chamber is seven feet in diameter at the base. It was here that the 
practical demonstration wels made, in May, 1851, of Mr Foucault's illus- 
tration of the rotation of the earth. 

Around this hollow chamber winds a spiral flight of stone steps, two 
hundred and ninety-five in number, with a rise of eight inches each. In 
the monument, and the cone also, there are numerous apertures for con- 
veying light and air into the whole interior of the structure. Having as- 
cended these steps, the visitor arrives at a chamber seventeen feet in 
height, and eleven feet in diameter, with four windows, opening to the 
four cardinal points. Above this chamber is the cap piece of the apex, 
a single stone weighing two and a half tons, and three feet six inches thick, 
and four feet square at its ba.-e. This was raised on the 23d of July, 
1842. The precise height of the monument is 221 feet. 

In September, 1840, a fair was held in Faneuil Hall, under the manage- 
ment of the ladies of Boston, for the purpose of raising sufficient funds 
for the completion of the monument. With the proceeds of the fair, added 
to private donations, the sum of $ r.5,000 was raised, which was sufficient 
to complete the work. The entire cost of the monument was $ 156,276. 

The completion of this great enterprise was celebrated on the 17th of 
June, 1843, (eighteen years after its commencement,) on which occasion 
Daniel Webster was again the orator. President Tyler and his cabinet 
were then present. In the upper chamber of the monument may be seen 
two small cannon, which had been used in the battle of 1775, and which 
afterward came into the possessio^n of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery 
Company. These two cannon have been named Hancock and Adams. 



CHARLESTOWN. 19 



The latter was burst by the company in firing a saJule. The following in- 
scription appears upon each gun, — 

"SACKED TO LIBERTY. 
This i3 one of four cannons which constituted the whole train of field 
artillery possessed by the British Colonies of North America at the com- 
mencement of the war, on the 19th of April, 1775. This cannon and its 
fellow, belonging to a number of citizens of Boston, were used in many 
engagements during the war. The other two, the property of the govern- 
ment of Massachusetts, were taken by the enemy. By order of United 
Slates in Congress assembled, May 19th, 1788." 

North Window. — From the north window the visitor may perceive 
Maiden northwest, Chelsea on the north, and Lynn, Nahant and Beach, 
on the northeast. Chelsea bridge lies on a line with Nahant, whose beach 
appears at this distance like a tape string. On the left of the bridge may 
be seen the Naval Hospital of the United States, with the dwelling-house 
of the superintendent, and extensive grounds attached. Maiden is 4J 
miles from the monument. 

Between Chelsea and Lynn is the ancient town of Saugus, nine miles, 
one of the slopi)ing places of the Eastern Railroad. Phillips' beach in 
Lynn is also visible, a place much resorted to in the summer. Cape Ann, 
in the dim distance, is the most northerly point of land in Massachusetts 
Bay. 

East Window. — From this opening the visitor beholds the Navy 
Yard, at the foot of Bunker Hill, together with the ropewalk, ships of 
war, dry-dock, &;c. (For particulars see the page devoted to the Navy 
Yard, page 17.) One mile beyond the Navy Yard is seen East Boston, 
with the Canard steamers, railroad. iron foundry. East Boston sugar-house, 
Eastern Railroad depot, the Maverick hotel. Beyond East Boston may be 
seen Governor's Island, with an indistinct view of Fort "Warren on its 
summit, and in the distance. Long Island lighthouse, and also the Boston 
(outer) lighthouse. The latter is a little to the left of the East Boston 
sugar-house. Also Deer Island, on which may be conspicuously seen the 
new almshouse, described on page 171 of this work. 

On the right of these objects may be seen Castle Island, distant three 
miles, on which is built Fort Independence. Thompson's Island, with the 
farm school for boys. From this window the observer has a full view of 
Boston harbor, extending from Nantasket on the north to Hingham on the 
south, including about seventy-five square miles, and about one hundred 
islands. On the outside of the harbor, over the ship-houses of the Navy 
Yard, may be seen the outer Brewster island. 

West Window. — From this position the larger part of Charlestown is 
visible, — its public square on the left and Town Hall, — on the right, the 
State's prison, newly enlarged; the Fitchburg, Lowell, and Boston and 
Maine railroads, each having a separate bridge across Charles river; be- 



20 CHARLESTOWN. 



yond ihem, over the State's prison, may be seen East Cambridge and it 
court house and glass-works ; the tall chimney, 230 feet in height, used for 
the escape of the smoke of the glass-works ; Cambridgeport in the same di- 
rection, two miles; Brighton, five miles. Due west will be seen Old Cam- 
bridge, with its college buildings, observatory, churches, &c. ; Mount Au 
burn in the dim distance, five miles from the monuiueni; the McLean 
asylum forthe insane, I^ mile, is a conspicuous buildmg. In the same 
direction, Somerville, a new town laid off from Charlestown. To the 
right of these is West Cambriiige, distant six miles; Medford six miles, 
a little to the north, on the Mystic river, a famous place for ship building. 

From this window (immediately over the observatory) may be seen, in 
clear weather, Wachusei mountain, near Princeton, Worcester county, 
fifty-two miles distant from Boston, west by north, 2018 feet above the 
harbor of Boston. (This harbor is also visible from the summit of the 
mountain.) Also Monadnoc mountain (over West Cambridge), Kearsage 
and the White Mountains, all in New Hampshire. Near the hospital 
may be seen Winter hill, the location of Washington's army in 1775-76, 
also the ruins of the Catholic convent on Mount Benedict. This building 
was destroyed by a mob in the year 1834, but no reparation has yet been 
made by the town or by the State. (In Philadelphia and Baltimore, simi- 
lar outbreaks occurred, and those cities were compelled to reimburse the 
parties for their losses in properly ) 

Within the limits of the town may be seen the old burial-ground, where 
lie the remains of John Harvard, the founder of the University, who died 
September 2S, 162S. Within a few yards of the monument may be seen 
Charlestown high school, dedicated June 17, 1848. 

South Wiiidoio. — From this position we observe the whole city of 
Boston, with its three hills, — Fort hill, Copp's hill, and Beacon hill. 
The gas works at the end of the first bridge ; Charles river bridge, 1503 feet 
in length; Warren bridge. 1390 feet; the Fitchburg railroad bridge; the 
Maine railroad bridge ; Lowell railroad bridge ; East Cambridge bridge ; Old 
Cambridge bridge, I^ mile distant ; the Western avenue leading to Brook 
line. On the extreme left of the city of Boston may be seen the shipping, 
Long wharf, Central wharf, the old North church, &c. In the centre, the 
Fitchburg railroad depot (Egyptian architecture), Boston and Lowell rail- 
road depot. Boston and Maine railroad depot. 

The State House is the most prominent object, with its immense dome, 
to the left of which are the Park Street and Hollis Street Church steeples. 
Over the North End church, farthest to the left, with a tail spire, is visi- 
ble in the distance the asylum for the blind, a prominent object ; and. in 
the horizon, the towns of Weymouth, Quincy, Dorchester; and in the har- 
bor, Sheep island, Thompson's island (with the farm school), Quincy bay, 
Squantum, Savin hill in Dorchester, a summer resort ; the Old Colony rail- 
road, immediately over the Old Si.-ite Hou^^e ; Roxhury, Mt, Plea.sant, &c. 



LOWELL, MIDDLESEX COUNTY. 




Tins thriving city was incorporated as a town, March 1, 1826, and be- 
came a city in February, 183G. It was originally termed Wamesit, and in 
the year 1726 was annexed to the town of Chelmsford. 

" The first efforts to promote manufactures in this place were made in 
1S13. In consequence of the restrictions that were laid on commerce, and 
of the war with Great Britain, tlie attention of many enterprising men 
was directed to domestic manufactures. Capt. Phineas Whiting and 
Capt. Josiah Fletcher, having selected an eligible site on Concord river, at 
the Wamesit falls, about a hundred rods from the Werrimac, erected, at 
the expense of about $ 3,000, a large wooden building for a cotton manu- 
factory. In ISIS, they sold their buildings, and their right to the water- 
power, to Mr. Thomas Hurd. ]Mr. Hurd afterwards fitted up the wooden 
factory, and erected a large brick one and several dwelling-houses, and 
improved the same forfibricating woollen goods. The woollen factory was 
destroyed by fire on the 30th of June, 1826, but was rebuilt immediately 
after. ]\Ir. Hurd continued the business till the great pressure in 1828, 
when he was compelled to assign his property for the lienefit of his credi- 
tors, and which was afterwards purchased by the INliddlesex Company. 

" About the year 1820, IMessrs. Patrick T. Jackson, Nathan Appleton, 
and Kirk Boott, of Boston, entered into a design to form a company for 
the purpose of manufacturing cotton goods, particularly calicoes. They 
accordingly commenced an inquiry for a suitable water privilege. A large 
number of privileges were examined, and, for various reasons, rejected. 
At length Mr. Paul l\Ioody. then connected with the manufacturing estab- 



22 



LOWELL, MIDDLESEX COUNTY. 



I 



lishments at Waltham, while on a visit lo his friends in Amesbury, met 
with Mr. Worthen, a gentleman of taste, with views congenial to his 
own, to whom he mentioned that an extensive water privilege was wanted 
! by the above named gentlemen. Mr. Worlhen replied, ' Why do they not 
purchase the land around the Pawtuckel falls, in Chelmsford ? They can 
put up as many works as they please, and never want for water.' This con 
versalion resulted in a visit of these gentlemen to this place, and from ob- 
servation they were both satisfied that the privilege was exactly what was 
wanted. The Pawtucket canal was immediately purchased by Messrs. 
Jackson, Applelon, and Boott. 

"This canal was projected about the year 1790, and the proprietors 
ware incorporated in 1792, by the name of 'The Proprietors of the Locks 
and Canals on Merrimac River.' It was open for the purpose of facili- 
Kiting the transportation of wood and lumber from the interior to Newbii- 
ryport. It is about one mile and a 1ialf in length, had four sets of locks, 
and was built at the expense of 3 50,000. Its direction is nearly east, and 
it enters Concord river, just above its junction with the Merrimac, where 
the water is thirty-two feet lower than at the head of the Pawtucket 
falls. 

" It is worthy of remark, that a few years before the purchase was made 
by Messrs. Jackson, Appleton, and Boott, an engineer was sent to exam- 
ine this place, by a number of gentlemen in Boston, who made a report 
that there was no water privilege here. The company made the first pur- 
chase of real estate on the 2d of November, 1S21. They began their work 
about the 1st of April, 1822. On the lOlh of July, they began to dig the 
canal broader and deeper, and let the water into it about the 1st of Septem- 
ber, 1823. Five hundred men were constantly employed in disging and 
blasting. The gunpowder used in blasting amounted to $6,000, atone 
shilling per pound. The whole expense of digging the canal was about 
$ 120,000. It is now sixty feet wide, has three sets of locks, and the water 
in it is eight feel deep, and is calculated to .supply about fifty mills. In 
digging this canal, ledges were found considerably below the old canal, 
which bore evident traces of its having once been the bed of the river. 
Miny places were found worn into the ledge, as there usually are in falls, 
by stones kept constantly in motion by the water; some of these cavities 
were one fool or more in diameter and two feet deep. 

'■ The company was fir.st incorporated by the name of the 'Merrimac 
Manufacturing Company.' In 182-5, a new company was formed, called 
the ' Proprietors of Locks and Canals, on Merrimac River,' lo vvhom'*'the 
Merrimac Manufacturing Company sold all the water privilege and all 
their real estate, together with the machine shoj) and its a[)purienance3, 
reserving water power sufricient fir five factories and llie print works, and 
ilso the buildings occupied for boarding-houses, and the land on which 
liev are situated." 



LOWELL, MIDDLESEX COUNTY. 



•^:i 



Lowell has groWM very rapidly since its first setilemeiil in tlie year 
1S22 In I-^DO, the travel and liusiiiess' between Ko.sion and 1/iwell liad 
become sc great, that a charter was oltained for the Lowell Kailroad. 
This work was prosecuted with great energy, and was o|>ened for travel in 
June, 1835. The distance from the Boston depot to Lowell is twenty-five 
miles and one thousand feet. An expensive cutting throiish solid rocks 
on this route. 600 feel in length, was made at a cost of 8 40,00(1. There 
are now eieht trains daily between the two cities. Fare, sixty cents for a 
single ticket. Season tickets, for three months, $22.50; six months. 
$41.'25; twelve months, S~5. 

The population of Lowell, in 1S2S, was 3,532; in 1840, it was 20.796 ; 
in 1S50, it was 33,3S5. The present capital employed in the mills and 
machine shops is above S 16,000,000. 



THE LOWELL MANUFACTORIES. 

The following statistical details have been derived from a letter sheet cir- 
cular issued at the office of the Lowell Courier. 

They show the capital, number of mills, number of spindles, number 
of males and females employed in each of tlie Lowell INIills. Together 
with the weekly consumption of cotton and wool ; the number of yards 
made, dyed, and printed, weekly. Also, the annual consumption of coal, 
charcoal, firewood, oil, starch and flour, in each of the mills, and the gen- 
eral aggregates. To which are added the dates when operations were com- 
menced, and the current prices of their slocks in the Boston market, June, 
1S51. 





o 

c 
a) 

P 

£ 

o 


*-> 
6 




Spindles, 


00 

E 


IMerrimac i\Tan. Co., 


1S23 


S2,:'(K»(l(0 


6 


69.440 


2.|(H 


Hamilton Alan. Co., 


1825 


I.2(!0.()(l'» 


4 


3S.416 


i 124 


Appleton Company, 


1S2S 


fi(IOf'(»0 


2 


17.92(1 


6(10 


Lowell i\Tan. Co , 


1.^28 


l.:('0(H»o 


3 


1 1 ;tfi2 


1;V1 


IMiddlese.v Company, 


1S32 


l,(!(ttl (KKt 


4 


16310 


4('3 


Suffolk Man. Co., 


18:>2 


(\fn\i i( id 


3 


17.52^ 


5'.»0 


Tremont Mills. 


1>:32 


f,i|.') IIIKl 


2 


ii.'^eo 


5r.7 


Lawrence !\Ian. Co., 


1S33-4 


1.5(1(1.(1(10 


5 


44,800 


\:.i^'Z 


Lowell Bleacbery, 


1^32 


2(12.!' K ' 








Rooti Cotton Mills, 


18:6 


1.2(1(1 (1(1(1 


5 


40.4:^1 


l,4:{2 


I\Ia.ss. Oiiton I\Tills. 


1S4» 


l.>(10.(l(i(t 


6 


45.720 


l,5f6 


Lowell Machine Shop, 


is-r. 


e^'it.i't'i! 








r.ii.il li Ciimpaii'es. 




S in:y.2 U!(i 


10 


325.520 


9.9(16 



24 



LOWKLL, MIDDLESEX COUNTV. 





Females 
Employed. 






WEEKLY. 




Name of Companies, 


0} 


o o 


^1 


Merrimac Man. Company, 
Hamilton Man. Company, 
Appleton Company, 
Lowell Man. Company, 
Middlesex Company, 
Suffolk Man. Company, 
Tremont Mills, 
Lawrence Man. Company, 
Lowell Bleachery, 
BooU Cotion Mills, 
Mass. Cotton Mills, 
Lowell Machine Shop, 


1,614 

840 
400 
550 
730 
400 
400 

1,200 

20 

870 

1,250 


645 
325 
120 
225 
575 
100 
100 
200 
200 
262 
250 
700 


340,000 
200,000 
150,000 
110,000 
20,477 
120,000 
140,000 
260,000 

320,000 
475,000 


74,000 
66,000 
60,000 
* 86,000 
t 33,000 
48,000 
42,000 
95,000 

90,000 
150,000 


299,000 
90,000 

9,000,500 


Total, 12 Companies, 


8,274 


3,702 


: 2,135,477 


744,000 


§ 9,889,000 





ANNUALLY. 


Name of Companies. 


o 

o 


J= o 


•a 

O 

o 


O 






a 


«5 


m 

b 


13 




Merrimac Man. Company, 


7,500 


3,555 


400 


7,260 


205,000 


Hamilton Man. Company, 


3,780 


2.148 


200 


6,000 


130,000 


Appleton Company, 


350 


1,000 




4.000 


75,000 


Lowell Man. Company, 


2,600 


2,000 




17,000 




Middlesex Company, 


4,000 


2,000 


700 


45,000 




Suffolk Man. Company, 


340 


1,600 


30 


2,500 


100,000 


Tremont Mills, 


350 


900 


50 


3.600 


75,000 


Lawrence Man. Company, 


1,000 


3,000 


120 


8.217 


140.000 


liOwell Bleachery, 


3,000 




500 


2.000 


260.000 


Boott Cotton Mills, 


1,100 


1,800 


70 


7.000 


190,000 


Mass. Cotton Mills, 


2,700 


2,000 


100 


12,000 


220,000 


Lowell Machine Shop, 


1,800 


15,000 


100 


3,000 




Total, 12 Companies, 


28,520 


! 34,993 


2,270 


107.577 


1,390 000 



It will be seen that the average rates of sales of stock are from 58 to 64, 
and that only two of them are above par. 
Average wages of females, clear of board, per week, $ 2,00. 
Average wages of males per day, clear of board, $0,80. 

* 50,000 lbs. cotton, 36,000 lbs. wool, t Wool. J Total, 1,190,000 yards 
cotton, 20,477 yards woolen, 15,000 yards carpels, 40 rugs. § 394,000 
yards printed, 9,515 yards dyed. 



LOWELL, MIDDLESEX COUNTY. 





ANN. 


o 

s 


m 

C 


M 


Name of Companies. 


1-^ 

3 
O 

00 


O 

o 
u 




PQ 


^ 


6D 

< 




Merrimac Man. Co., 


750 


Steam. 


L Hinkley, 


8 1,160 to 1,18<1 


Han 11 lion Company, 


200 


a 


John Averv. 


720 10 7fiO 


Appleion Company, 




11 


George Motley. 


600 to TIKI 


Lowell Man. Co., 




11 


Alexander Wright. 


400 to u<iO 


Middlesex Company, 




Fur. & 
Steam. 


VV. T. Mann. 


600 to 900 


Suffolk Man. Co., 


Steam. 


John Wright. 


600 to 700 


Tremonl Mills, 


50 


a 


C. L. Tilden. 


rm to GUI 


Lawrence Man. Co., 




u 


W. S. Stniihworlh. 


700 to:-" 


Lowell Bleachery, 


600 


11 


C. A. B.ibcock. 


2110 to 2411 


Boon Collon Mills, 




It 


Linu.s Child. 


8riO to iKdi 


;\Iass. Cotton Mills, 


40 


tc 


Joseph White. 


700 to 7,Vl 


Lowell Maciiine Shop, 




11 


W. A. Burke. 


500 to 5'.i5 


Total, 12 Companies, 


1,640 












Medium produce of a loom, No. 14 yarn, yards per day, 45. 

Medium produce of a loom. No. 30 yarn, yards per day, 33. 

Average per spindle, yards per day, H. 

The Middlesex Company make use annually of 6,000,000 leaales, 
1,716,000 lbs. fine wool, 80,000 lbs. glue, $60,000 worth dye-siufrs. and 
$ 17,000 worth of soap. They also own the Wamesit Carpel Mill, on the 
Concord river, where are consumed annually, 93,600 lbs. coarse wool, and 
36,400 lbs. of worsted yarn, producing 91,000 yards ingrain cariK-img. 

In addition to the above, the Merrimac Manufacturing Coniiwiny use 
1,000,000 lbs. of madder, 3S0,0CX) lbs. copperas, 60,000 Iba. alum, 50,000 
lbs. sumac, 40,000 lbs. soap, 45,000 lbs. indigo, per annum. 

The mills are now lighted with g;is, — lessening thereby the consump- 
tion of oil. 

Other manufactures are produced in the city, than those specifii^l atKivc. 
of a value of $ 1,500,000, employing a capiul of 8 400,000, and about 1,500 
hands. 

There are four Banks,— the Lowell, capital 8200,000; the Railroad, 
capital $600,000; the Appleion, capital 8150,000; the Prcscotl, aipital 
$ 150,000. 

The population of Lowell, in 182S, was 3,.'532. In 1840, it was 20,796 ; in 
1S50, it was 33,385. Increase in ten years, 12,589. 

The Lowell Machine Shop, include.l among the above mills, can furni.sh 
machinery complete for a mill of 6,000 epindles, in three months, and a 
mill can be built in the same time. 

The several manufacturing companies have established a hospital f"r 

•J 



26 BROOKLINE, NORFOLK COUNTY. 

ilie coiiveaience and comfort of persons employed by ihem respectively 
when sick, wiiicii is under tlie superintendence of one of the best surgeons 
and physicians. 

There are two institutions for savings, the Lowell and the City. The 
Lowell had on deposit, the first Saturday in November, 1850, from 4,609 
ilepusitors, $ 736,628.12. The City, at the same time, had on deposit from 
615 depiisitors, $75,970.51. The operatives in llie mills are the principal 
depositors in the above banks. 

A vast amount of laudable and successful enterprise of a more strictly 
private character might not be inappropriately alluded to in this place, 
not the least of which are the extensive powder mills of Oliver M. Whip 
pie, Esq., and the paper and batting mills of Perez O. Richmond, E.sq , 
both on the Concord river, within the precincts of the city. Messrs. 
Fiske & Norcross's e.xtensive lumber-yard and sawmills, on the Merrimac, 
are also worthy of notice. 

A reservoir of great capacity has been built on the high ground in Bel- 
videre, east of the city, for the purpose of furnishing a ready supply of 
water to any part of the city in cases of fire. The water is conveyed into 
the reservoir by force pumps from the Lowell Machine Shop. Pipes are 
laid from the reservoir to various parts of the city, at which points hose 
can be attached to the hydrants without delay, when necessary. 



BROOKLINE, NORFOLK COUNTY. 

This is one of the most delightful towns in the vicinity of Boston. It 
is one of the many towns within a small circuit of the metropolis, that 
are becoming the residences of the Boston merchants. Brookline lies on 
the north bank of Charles river, and distant from two to five miles from 
Boston Wood, in his " New England's Prospect," in 1633, says : — " The 
inhabitants of Boston, for their enlargement, have taken to themselves 
farm-houses in a place called 'Muddy River, two miles from the town, 
where there is good ground, large timber, and store of marsh land and 
meadow."' 

In December, I6S6, the inhabitants of Muddy River had obtained an or- 
der from the President and Council thai said hamlet should henceforth be 
free from town rates to the town of Boston, and have the privilege of 
meeting "annually to choose three men to manage their affairs." The 
conditions of this grant were, that the town should bear their own ex- 
penses, erect a school-house, and maintain a reading and writing master 

Brookline was incorporated as a town, November 13, in the year 1705. 
It is supposed that the name was adopted from the circumstance that 
Smelt brook was a boundary ' etween this town and Camhridsre ; and that 



BIIOOKLINE. NOKFuLK COU.VTV. 'Zi 

another brook, which falls into JMiuldy Kiver, was the Uiunilary beiwuei. 
Brookline and Roxbury. Furiher pariirulars of ihe selilemeiil of tli) 
town may be found in tlie Century ISernion, delivered by the late llev 
Doctor Pierce. He remarka, — " Previously it) its incorporaiion in ITU.' 
it formed a part of Boston ; and was denominated Mmldy Kiver. from lli< 
stream which is one of it3 eastern boundaries. It waa assisned to ilu- m 
habitants of Boston, on account of their narrow limits wiihm the |>cnii. 
sula. They used to transport their cattle over the water to this p!;i> <■ 
while the corn was on the ground at Boston, and bring liiem to town i, 
the winter. Finding it highly inconvenient to attend town business ii 
Boston, and increasing in numbers and in wealth, they were at length in 
corporaled." 

In the year 1717, the first church in Brookline was established, and ii 
1718, the Rev. James Allen was ordained first minister. 

The Western avenue, leading from the foot of Beacon Street in Bostm 
to Brookline, was an important improvement for both towns, and wit.- 
opened for public use on the 2d of July, 1821. 

There are yet remains of the Fort on Sewall's Point, one of the brea.-t 
works erected in Brookline in the Revolutionary war. A road nowdivitlts 
this relic of the struggle for liberty in 1775-76. This was one of tin 
strongest positions taken by the American army at that period. 

Brookline, in 1S51, is noted for its variety of surface; numerous gar 
dens, highly cultivated ; fine dwelUntrs; picturesque views and pleasani 
drives. It furnishes some of the most beautiful sites near Boston for tin 
erection of private residences. Brookline contained, in the year \<iO. Mv: 
inhabitants; in 1850, the number had increased to 2.35:3. Puring th- 
same period, its properly valuation had increased from S 7f»0,fKK) i< 
S 5,400,000. There are now three churches, and another alxnil to U 
erected; five public school-houses, including a pari of the town houM 
used for schoolrooms. The town covers about 4,400 acres, and is to a 
great extent under high cultivation. 

The leading object for visitors is the Cochitiiate reservoir, an elp?ni.t 
structure, of an elliptic shape. The west end of this reservoir is ili.-iam 
8,966 yards from the Beacon Hill reservoir, and about one mile from lb. 
depot in Brookline. The former has a surface of 22^ acres, and will hoi. 
one hundred millions of ealions of water, a quantity sniruient for i he .<>'p 
ply of Boston for the space of two weeks. A branch of the Worr.-i.r 
Railroad runs from the main stem. 2J miles from Boston, t.. the Brooklii.. 
station, distant four miles from the depot in Beach street On ihi 
branch road there are nine trains daily. Fare, ten cents or tw.hn ti.k 
els for one dollar. Per annum, thirty dollars. 



CAMBRIDGE, 

MIDDLESEX COUNTY. 




To the stranger passing from Boston to Cambridge, the first impressions 
of the latter city are far from prepossessing. Huge staring warehouses, 
exhibiting a marvellous deficiency of paint ; unsightly and dilapidated 
dwelling-houses, singly or in blocks, sad memorials of a short-lived pros- 
perity; innumerable cabins, of mushroom growth, the unmistakeable lurk- 
ing-places of the Irish ; with here and there a half-filled cellar and heaps of 
charred and blackened timbers, partially overgrown with weeds, or the yet 
smouldering mass of ruins, attesting the fearful visitations, more or less 
recent, of the law-defying incendiary; — these are the objects which meet 
his eye as he passes along the road, through the "Lower Port," to the 
second or " Little Bridge," so called. A few rods from the latter, on the 
left, is the extensive establishment of Messrs. Davenport and Bridges, for 
the manufacture of Railway cars, — almost the first evidence of healthy 
life and activity which relieves the monotonous desolation of this district. 
— and not far beyond, in a fork of the road, stands the Universalist Meet- 
ing-house, with a tall flag-staff before it, reared in honor of Lafayette, who 
visited Cambridge in 182i. Signs of life have been more and more appa- 
rent as the passenger has approached this point ; and now he is in the cen- 
tre of the business section of the " Port." Following the course of the no- 
ble avenue which stretches away, between rows of trees, to the old town, 
something like a mile beyond, and leaving the Baptist Meeting-house on 
the left, the first object which attracts attention is the new Athenaeum. It 



CAMDUIDGE. 211 



is not yet fiiiislied ; but coming events cast their shailows Iwfore, ninl on* 
c;ui see that it will be a tolerably sroodlnnking building. There, on r 
i):isite side of the way, with a lieautiful lawn in fnmt. and .shiidml ■ 
lid trees, is a truly noble mansion. Previous to the Revolution it was own«! i 
Mid occupied by R.i'ph Inman. a wealthy lory, who wa.s uncen '> 

lispossessed. and bis fine house assigned as beadfiuartcrs to tb i 

lie General Putnam. The street which leads up to the side entrance of 
■he house perpetuates the name of its original owner. Time w:i.'<. when 
lot a solitary dwelling stood between the " Inman House " and the man- 
sion of the late Jtidge Dana, on Dana Hill. But times have changed, and 
the eye of the t)eholder now rests upon rows of fine houses and Uisteful gar- 
lens, the residences, for the most part, of gentlemen who daily vi.sit the 
metropolis for purpo.5es of business, while they find in Cambridsc a pleas- 
lat retreat from the noise and bustle of the crowded city. The riiL'e of 
land called Dana Hill, which is approached by an almost imjierceptiltle a.s- 
• ent, forms the natural boundary between the •' Port " and '• Old Cam- 
SrijLTe " On the summit of this ridge, on the right-hand side of the road, 
'was located one of the chain of redoubts erected by the Americans at the 
outset of the Revolution. Traces of it have been visible within a very few 
\ cars, but they are probably now obliterated in the march of improvement. 
— that same spirit of progress which made it necessary to cut a road 
through another old fort, a little beyond the one just mentioned, on the 
opposite side of the way. The land never having been rerpiired for build- 
i.ig purijoses, this redoubt continued in a fine state of preservation, and its 
.inbankment and fosse were plaiidy distinguishable, even at considerable 
iistance. What remains thereof is now concealed by the intervenimj 
V.nses on Putnam street. Still following the "Main .street." it i.s not 
1 .0- before the turrets of Gore Hall, — the library building of the Uinvcr 
-iiy, -come in sight, and a side glimpse of the other Collese bu.ldmss i.s 
,;nained through the trees. On the left, opjwsite Gore Hall, is socx a 
iir-e, square, old-fashioned house, at a little distance from the .stre-M, 
vldch is noted a.s bavin- been the residence of Burgoyne. whdc prisoner 
of war, after the battle 'of Saratoga. With the College yanl still on our 
.i-lu, and leaving the University Book.store and Pre.sson the lell. we erne 
lo'ihe venerable mansion, which, for more than a hundred years, ha.^ boon 
the residence of the Presidents of the College. It is now occupied by tb.. 
Hon. Edward Everett, Mr. President Sparks preferring to remain in n- 
own house, which is situated in the rear of the College buildine«. on the 
•orner of Quincy and Kirkland streets. Next comes the l-aw Sch.n.I, and 
then the other College bx.ildimrs. and here we are at the grand entrance to 
the College grounds. Opposite is the Unitarian Meeims-houae : to he 
ri.ht is that of the Baptists: hard by the latter are the l«.ild.n... of 1. 
Scientific School and in its rear the residence of the late 1^>- ^ .- 
Holmes, the well-known American Annalist. Beyond the UnUanan 



30 UNIVERSITY AT CAMBRIDGE. 

Meeting-house, with the ancient grave-yard between, is Christ Church ; 
and still farther beyond may be seen the waving branches of the venerable 
Washington Elm ; while to the north stretches the Common on which 
was mustered the little army, whose responsive shouts first welcomed the 
great Chieftain of his country. 



THE UNIVERSITY AT €AMBRII>OE, 

commonly called Harvard College, and frequently, though with little pro- 
priety. Harvard University ; — terms indiscriminately applied, by those ig- 
norant of its true organization, to one and the same Institution, composed 
of five distinct Departments, each complete in itself, with its own par- 
ticular government and body of Instructors, each having its separate 
funds, its own pupils, and its peculiar objects, but all subject to one su- 
preme head. 

These five Departments are, the Academic, or more properly. Collegiate 
Department, or Harvard College as originally constituted ; and the 
several Professional and Scientific Schools which have been successively 
gathered around it. They are all under the general superintendence and 
management of a board of seven members, called the Corporation, subject 
to the visitatorial power of the Board of Overseers. 

The Corporation is composed of the President, five Fellows, and a 
Treasurer, respectively chosen, when a vacancy occurs, by the remaining 
members, with the concurrence of the Overseers. They constitute "one 
body politic and corporate," established by the Charter of May 3Ist, 1650, 
and legally styled " The President and Fellows of Harvard College " ; but 
being the first, and, during the whole of the 17lh century, the only corpo- 
rate body in the then Province, they acquired the familiar title of " The 
Corporation.'" With this board rests the power of appointing all officers, 
of every description, subject, however, to the approval o the Overseers; 
and it is their duty to prescribe the general rules by which each Depart- 
ment is to be governed, and to see that they are carried into effect. The 
President is the presiding and executive ofiicer of the Corporation ; and 
it is his duty to call meetings of the board, to report thereto such meas- 
ures of the Faculty as require their concurrence and approbation, and to 
act as the ordinary medium of communication between the Corporation 
and the Overseers. 

The Board OF Overseers derives its existence from the Act of the 
General Court of Septetnber 8, 1642, as amended by the Legislature, in 
March, 1810, and February, 1814. It consists of the Governor, Lieutenant- 
Governor, Executive Council, and Senate of the Commonwealth, of the 
Speaker of the House of Representatives, and of the President of the Uni- 
versity, for the time being, and of fifteen clergymen and fifteen laymen, 




O 

(— t 
P 

h3 
t— < 

PQ 

H 
I— I 

CO 

W 
« 



HARVARD COLLEGE. 31 



chosen by the whole body, as vacancies occur, for life, or until they resign 
their office. His Excellency the Governor, or, in his absence, the Lieu- 
len<ant-Governor, or the oldest executive or legislative incmlxir of the 
Board, presides at all meetings of the Overseers. It is made the duly of 
the President to attend the meetings of the Board of Overseers, lo report 
those proceedings of the Corporation which reriuire their concurrence, and 
annually to make a report to the Overseers, at their legislative session, of 
the general condition of the University ; at which time it is also the duly 
of the Treasurer lo present a general statement of the receipts and expen- 
ditures of the Institution. 

Each of the five Departments of the University, — the Collegiate De- 
partment, and the Medical, Law, Theological, and Scientific Schools, — is 
under the direction of its appropriate Faculty, of which the President is 
cx-officio the head. The senior Professor of the respective Professional 
and Scientific Schools acts as head of the Faculty of the same, and pre- 
sides at its meetings and on its public occasions, unless the President is 
present and presides. A Dean may also be appointed by the Faculty of 
each Professional School, if deemed expedient by the Corporation. The 
funds which have been given for the support of these several Schools have 
been placed in the hands of the Corporation, who act as trustees for the 
donors, to carry their purposes into effect. 

All the oflicers of instruction and government in the University arc 
chosen by the Corporation, with the concurrence of the Overseers, and are 
subject to removal for inadequate performance or neglect of duly, or mis- 
conduct. The President is the executive and official head of the Uni- 
versity, and it is his duty to preside on all its public occasions, and lo 
exercise a general supervision over its concerns ; lo see that the course of 
instruction and discipline is maintained ; and to give all orders necessary 
to that end, and not inconsistent with the laws. 

The Annual Commencement is on the third Wednesday in July, on 
which occasion a public literary exhibition lakes place, in the INIertin?- 
house of the First Parish, the various customary an.l honorary Dou'n-.-.^ are 
conferred, and the ceremonies of the day conclude with the Public Dinner 
of the Alumni and guests of the Univer.Miy, in Harvard Hall. The resn- 
lar degrees conferred at this time are those of Riclu-lor and M.x-»tcr of 
Arts, for students, in good standing, of the Collegiate Depanmcnt ; and 
Bachelor of Laws, Doctor in Medicine, and Bachelor in Science, for such 
student in the Law. Medical, and Scientific School.-*, rcspeclivcly. ns have 
fulfilled the conditions required by the statutes of those Scho<ils. Stu- 
dents in the Divinity School receive an appropriate certificate upon iho 
completion of their course of study. 

With these preliminary remarks, we will now pmcecd to give a sucrinct 
view of the history, operations, and present condition of ih.' Ins^titution. 
in its two -real branches, the Clle-iate Drparim.-nt or O.IIece pn^por. 



CAAliiiaUiiii. 



and Ihe Professional and Scientific Scliools. Tlie former of these consti- 
tutes, not merely the historical foinidation, but the substantial basis of tlie 
Institution, as a seat of liberal education ; while the latter have grown into 
an importance which forcibly illustrates the foresight of our fathers, who, 
in the Constitution of the Commonwealth, bestowed upon it the name 
of " The University at Cambridge," aiid declared it to be the duty ol 
legislatures and magistrates, in all future periods, to cherish its interests. 



HARVARD COLI^EGE. 



FACULTY. 
JARED SPARKS, LL. D., President. 

James Walker, D. D. ; Henry W. Longfellow, A. M. ; Cornelius C. Fel- 
ton, LL. D., Regent ; Benjamin Pierce, LL. D. ; Joseph Lovering, A. M. : 
Evangelinus A. Sophocles, A. M. ; Francis J. Child, A. M. ; George M. 
Lane, A. M. : John M. Marsters, A. B. ; Thomas Chase, A. B., Regis- 
trar ; Josiah P. Cook, A. B. 

The foundation of Harvard College was laid by the General Court of the 
Colony of Massachusetts Bay, in September, J636; when " it agreed to 
give £400 towards a School or College ; the next Court to appoint where 
and what building." In the following year, 1637. the College was ordered 
to be erected at Nevrtown, and twelve of the most eminetit men of the 
Colony were appointed " to take order therefor." In 1638, the regular 
course of Academic studies seems to have commenced, and degrees were 
conferred, four years afterwards, upon nine young men, most of whom sub- 
sequently attained respectability and eminence both in this country and 
in Europe. In March, 163S-39, it was ordered that the institution 
should be called Harvard College, in honor of its first and great ben- 
efactor, the Rev. John Harvard, of Charlestown, who bequeathed one half 
of his whole property, and his entire library, amounting to £779.17.2 in 
money, and more than three hundred volumes, for its benefit. 

In August, 1640, " at a meeting of the magistrates and elders at Boston, 
the Rev. Henry Dunster was by them invited to accept the place of 
President of the College," which had hitherto been under the supervision 
of one Nathaniel Eaton, with the title of Master or Professor, "and to 
him was committed the care and trust of finishing the College buildings 
and his own lodgings, and the custody of the College stock and such dona- 
tions as might be added to the increase thereof." 

In September, 1642, an act v/as passed by the General Court, establishing 
the Board of Overseers. It consisted of the Governor. Deputy-Governor, 
and Magistrates of the Colony, with tlie Teaching Elders of the six next 
adjoining towns (Cambridge, Watertown, Charlestown, Boston, Roxbury, 
and Dorcliester ) ; who, with the Governor, were intrusted with the sole 
care and man isjemeiit of the College. This body beiii? found too larsre to 



ilAU\A:.U CCLLfcOt,. 



have llie iinnietliale direction of liie insiilutioii, on llie 3l6l of May, IC*/). 
it was matle a Corporation, and received a Charter under the Colony Seal, 
whicli subsists to this day. 

" The first two Presidents of the College were educated in England ; but 
troMi 1672 to the present time, our Alma Mater has been under the charge 
(if men who were her own Alumni, who received all their instruction fn)ni 
her, and wlio devoted themselves to repay the debt by laboring, in every 
way, to promote her prosperity." 

The following is a list of the Presidents of the College and University. 
from its establishment until the present thne : — 

Henry Dutuster, 1640-1654; Charles Chauncy. 1651-1671-2; Leonard 
Hoar, 1672- 1674-5 ; Urian Oakes. 167:-)- 1681 ; John Rogers, 16S2- 16>vl 
Increase INIalher. 1685- 1701 ; Samuel Willard, Vice-President, 1701 - 1707 ; 
Jolm Leveretl, 1707-8- 1724; Benjamin Wadsworth, 1725-1736-7; Ed- 
ward Holyoke, 1737-1769; Samuel Locke, 1770- 1773; Samuel Langdon 
1774-1780; Joseph Willard, 1781 - 18ai ; S;mniel Webber, 1806-1810: 
John Thornton Kirkland, 1810-1828; Josiah Quincy, 1829-1845; Ed- 
ward Everett, 1846-1849; Jarcd Sparks. 1849. 

" Young men are admitted, when qualified by a prescribed amount of lit- 
erary attainments, into the Academical [or Collegiate] Department, at aboni 
the average age of sixteen ; and they pursue the usual course of a four 
years' College education, under the immediate instruction of nine Profes 
sors, four Tutors, and three special Instructors. During the first two year.- 
all the studies are prescribed, and a pretty thorough acquaintance is ob 
tained with Greek, Latin, and Mathematics; and the study of History, 
Rhetoric, Chemistry, Natural History, and Modern Languages is begun. 

" In tlie last two years of College life, the pursuit of the higher branches 
of Mathematics, and the attainment of critical skill in the Ancient Lan- 
guages, together with further accjuaintance with the Modern Languages, 
are made elective studies ; and the others which have been enumerated 
are continued, with the addition of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy 
Physics, and Political Science, in onler to complete what is regarded as 
necessary for the foundation of those acquirements, and those habits of 
mind, which are indispensable to all who desire to he considered as culti- 
'. ated or well-educated men, in the present age of the world. 

''Four of the College buildings are occupied by the Undergraduates as 
lodgings, and alford accommodation for about half of their number, the 
room.'? l)eing a.ssigned to the students, from time' to time, by the Faculty. 
Four other buildings are used fiir public purposes. Harvanl Hall contains 
a lecture-room, the cabinet of minerals and shells, with a few fossils, and a 
large hall for Commencement dinners and other occasions on which the 
Alumni a.-isemble. This hall is adorned with the portraits of many of the 
past officers and benefactors of the Institution. Holden Chajjel is convert- 
ed into lecture rooms, used at present for the leciures on Anatomy .ind 



34 CAMBRIDGE. 



Chemistry. University Hall contains the Chapel and several recitation 
and lecture-rooms. Gore Hall contains the library. 

" The funds which have been given for the support of the Academical 
[or Collegiate] Department, which is the earliest of the Schools here es- 
tablished, the original and true Harvard College, are the following : — 

Funds given by various persons towards the payment of 
the salaries of Professors, and maintaining the Botanic 

Garden, $280,286.81 

Funds appropriated to the Library, 10,960.99 

Funds for Prizes, 7,930.86 

Funds for Exhibitions, or aid to indigent students, . . 33,993.77 
The stock account, or general fund derived from unre- 
stricted donations, and from occasional balances. The ac- 
tual value of this fund at the present time is . . . 191,920.60 

Total. $525,093.03 



" The income of this sum, at five per cent, per annum, which is as 
much as can be obtained, on an average of years, is $ 26,254.65, whereas 
the annual expenses of the College now exceed $40,000. It will be ob- 
served that more than $ 330,000 are appropriated, by the donors, to salaries 
of Professors, the Library, Prizes, and Exhibitions ; while, beside these 
objects, there are salaries to be provided for many other necessary officers, 
and funds for repairs, and unavoidable expenses of various descriptions ; 
so that it can be no matter of wonder to any one who considers the facts, 
that an annual deficiency of about $ 20,000 is to be made up by a tax on 
the students. This is about $ 75 or $ 80 each ; and if it were by itself, not 
mingled with other charges necessarily incurred in consequence of the re- 
moval of the young man from the paternal roof it would by no means be 
regarded as excessive, for the amount of instruction obtained. Good 
schools, in many parts of the country, for younger persons than Under- 
graduates, often cost as much, and even more. It is undoubtedly burden- 
some to many, and for that reason the importance of the Beneficiary Fund 
is very great ; and the advantage derived from it, as well as from another 
fund in the hands of trustees for a like purpose, is inestimable. But it is 
easy to see that so large an apparatus of officers and buildings can hardly 
be maintained at less cost ; and that the best way in which the liberally 
disposed can now serve the interests of education at Cambridge, is by un- 
restricted donations. 

'•'It should be seen, also, that the pecuniary resources of the College, 
properly so called, instead of amounting, as is supposed by many persons 
who take a hasty glance at the annual statement of the Treasurer, to nearly 
$ 800,000, in reality amount only to the above-named sum of $ 525,000 ; and 
even from this a large deduction should be made, on account of property 



HARVAKD CULLEUE 3j 



of an unproduciive nature held by llie College. Iii feci, iho pruduciivo 
funds of the institution do not exceed S-1'">0,00(.I." 

By the laws of the Institution, no person is permilled to hold any ex- 
ecutive office in Harvard College, who haa the pa^itoral care of aCliurch, 
that of the University alone excepted, or who sustains any civil office ex- 
cept thai of Justice of the Peace; and whoever accepts such pastoral 
care, or civil office, is considered as resigning his place, and the same is 
thenceforth deemed vacant. 

The immediate care and govenmient of the Undergraduates, or students 
in the Collegiate Department, is vested in the President of the University, 
the Professors not exempted by the tenure of their office, and the Tutors ; 
who are denominated the " College Faci'lty." When requested by the 
Presideiil or by the Board, those Professors and other officers, usually 
exempted from the duty of attendance upon the meeiinga thereof, arc 
associated with, and act for the time as, members of the Faculty. The 
Faculty appoint one of their number to act as the particular officer 
of each Class, and to serve as tiie ordinary metlium of communication 
between the student and the Faculty. Monitors are also appointed, and 
their duties and compensations fixed, by the Faculty. One of the Faculty 
is appointed by the Corporation to the office of Kecistrar, and receives 
a salary determined by the Corjwration. It is his duty to keep a record of 
the votes and orders passed by the College Faculty, furnish certitied copies 
of the same when requisite, and perfonn such other services, properly per- 
taining to his office, as may be directed by th.e President or the Faculty. 

The officers resident within the College walls constitute a fiermanenl 
standing committee, called the Parietal Com.mitteb. This Committee 
has {particular cognizance of all olTences against goo<l order and decorum. 

It being the design of the Government of the University that the Fac- 
ulty should be invested with ample power to administer the instruction 
and discipline of the College, they are desired and exi)ected, at all times, 
to propose to the Corporation .such laws and measures as they may deem 
requisite or useful for the effectual discharge of their functions. 

The Qualifications for A DMissio.N to the Collegiate Department are 
from time to lime determined and prescribed by the Faculty, with the ap- 
probation of the Corporation. The examination of candidates for admis 
sion to the Freshman Class occupies two days, and takes place in Univer 
sitv Hall, on the Monday and Tuesday of the Commencement week, 
be-inning precisely at 6 o'clock. A. M., on Monday morning. Attend- 
ance on both davs is required. No candidate will be examine*! unless it is 
intended that, if admitted, he shall immediately join his cla5s: and no 
person will be received at any other lime than the beeinning of a Term, 
except in extraordinary cases, at the discretion o( the Faculty. 

Candid.^tes for admission to the Freshman Class are examined in the 
following books : — 



36 CAMBRIDGE. 



Latin Department. — The whole of Virgil; the whole of Csesar's 
Commeataries ; Cicero'.s Select Orations, Folsom's edition ; Andrews and 
Stoddard's Latin Grammar, including Prosody ; and in writing Latin. 

Greek Department. — Felton's Greek Reader ; Sophocles's Greek 
Grammar, including Prosody; and in writing Greek with the Accents. 

Mathematical Department. — Davies's and Hill's Arithmetics ; Eu- 
ler's Algebra, or Davies's First Lessons in Algebra to " The Extraction of 
the Square Root " ; and "An Litroduction to Geometry and the Science of 
Form, prepared from the most approved Prussian Text-Books," as far as 
the Seventh Section, " Of Proportions." 

Historical Department. — Worcester's Elements of History, ("An- 
cient History " ;) Worcester's Geography, (" Ancient Geography.") 

Students may be admitted to advanced standing, at any part of the Col- 
lege course previous to the Second Term of the Senior year. In order to 
such admission to advanced standing, the candidate must appear, on ex- 
amination, to be well versed in the following studies : — L In the studies 
required for admission to the Freshman Class. 2. In all the required 
studies pursued by the class for which he is offered. 3. And, in the elec- 
tive studies, one out of the three departments of Greek, Latin, and Math- 
ematics, pursued by the class for which he is offered. He must also pay 
to the Steward, at the rate of $ 45 per annum, according to the standing 
to which he is admitted. Any student, however, who has a regular dis- 
mission from another College, may be admitted to the same standing, if, 
on examination, he is found qualified, without any pecuniary considera- 
tion. This charge for advanced standing is also remitted to indigent stu- 
dents 

Every candidate, before examination, must produce proper testimonials 
of a good moral character, and, after being accepted on examination, must 
give a bond, with sureties, of which one at least must belong to this Com- 
monwealth, to the satisfaction of the Steward of the College, in the sum 
of four hundred dollars, to pay all charges accruing under the laws and 
customs of the University. A certificate that such bond has been given 
must be exhibited to the President, before any person can be admitted to 
the privileges of the institution. 

The Lectures and Exercises, to be attended and performed by the stu- 
dents, are arranged, from time to lime, in the manner most favorable to 
their progress, by the College Faculty. The following is the arrangement 
at the present time. 

P'reshmen. — First Term. — Greek, Latin, Mathematics, and History. 
Second Term — Greek, Latin, Mathematics, and Chemistry. 

Sophomores. — First Term. — Rhetoric, Mathematics, Greek, Latin, 
Chemistry, and French. Second Term. — Rhetoric, History, Mathemat- 
ics, Greek, Latin, French, and Natural History. 

Juniors. — First Term. — Philosophy, History, Physics, Rhetoric, and 



HARVARD COLLEGE. 37 



Greek Literature (the latter by Lectures). Second Term. — Rhetoric, 
Physics, Philosophy, and Roman Literature (the latter by Lectures). 

Seniors. — First Term. — Philosophy, Rhetoric, Physics, and Modern 
Literature (Che latter by Lectures). Second Term. — Political Science, 
History, Rhetoric, Philosophy, Physics, and Modern Literature (the lat- 
ter by Lectures). 

Elective Studies. — In addition to the above, which are prescribed 
studies, every member of the Junior and Senior Classes must, from several 
others, select one in which he will have three exercises a week throughout 
the year, as follows : — 

A student in the Junior Class must select either Greek, Latin, Mathe- 
matics, Spanish, or German ; and, in the Senior Class, either Greek, Lat- 
in; Mathematics, Spanish, German, Italian, or Hebrew. Only one of these 
studies can be taken ; and after the choice is made, the student must con- 
tinue in the same study during the year. He receives credit on the scale 
for his recitations in this as in the prescribed studies. 

Any student, who desires it, may have additional instruction three limes 
a week in some one of the studies mentioned above which he does not se- 
lect. That is, members of the Junior Class, who choose Latin, Mathe- 
matics, or Spanish, may join the section in Greek, or German ; and those 
who choose Greek or German, may do the same in Latin, IMalhematies, or 
Spanish. And members of the Senior Class, who choose Greek, Italian, 
or German, may take, as an extra study, Latin, Mathematics, Spanish, or 
Hebrew; and those who choose Latin, Mathematics, Spanish, or Hebrew, 
may take, as an extra study, Greek, Italian, or German. No credit will 
be given on the scale of rank for recitations in an extra study, and no 
student can take more than one such study. Every student, who enters 
upon an additional study, must continue in it at least one Term, and at- 
tend all the exercises of the section which he joins. 

On or before the Jirst day of June, in each year, every student is re- 
quired to make a written statement to the Faculty of the elective studies 
he wishes to pursue the following year, and leave the same at the Re- 
gent's office, accompanied, if he be under age, by the approval of his pa- 
rent or guardian ; it being understood that the branches elected shall, in 
the opinion of the Faculty, be sufficient, with the prescribed studies, to 
occupy his time, that the whole is subject to revision by the Faculty, and 
that the arrangement thereupon made shall, in the case of the required 
election, be binding for one year. If such notice be omitted, the Faculty 
I makes the selection. 

Lectures on Rhetoric, IVTodern Literature, Electricity, Geology, and 

: Mineralogy, during the First Term, and on Intellectual Philosophy, His- 

I tory or Political Economy, Modern Literature, INIagnetism and Electro- 

! Masnctisni. Anatomy. Zoology, and Chemistry, during the Second Term. 

before tlie SfCNion Cr.Ass: and on History, Electricity, and Greek Litera- 



38 CAMBRIDGE. 



ture, during the First Term, and on Magnetism and Electro-Magnetism, 
Botany, and Roman Literature, during the Second Term, before the Jun- 
ior Class ; are delivered by the Professors in those respective depart, 
ments. Attendance upon these Lectures is in some cases required, in 
others optional, but in all, advantageous. A course of Lectures on Chem- 
istry is also given to the Freshmen and Sophomores, in connection vyrith 
recitations from a text-book. 

A Public Examination of all the Classes takes place each Term. The 
Committees of Examination are appointed annually by the Overseers, at 
their meeting in January, either from their own body, or from the com- 
munity at large; and a day is appointed by the Faculty, for the examina- 
tion of each class in every branch of study pursued by them, at such times 
as the Faculty may deem expedient; seasonable notice thereof being giv- 
en by the President to each member of the Examining Committees, who 
make report to the Overseers of the general condition of each department, 
and of the degree of thoroughness and exactness with which each branch 
of study has been pursued 

Prayers, with the reading of the Scriptures, are attended in the College 
Chapel morning and evening. All the Students are required to be pres- 
ent; as they are also at public worship in the Chapel on the Sabbath, ex- 
cept such as have special permission, at the request of their parents or 
guardians, to attend the Episcopal Church or other Congregations in the 
city of Cambridge, or elsewhere. 

There are two Public Exhibitions each year, one at each of the semi- 
annual visitations of the committee of the Overseers. The exercises for 
these Exhibitions are assigned by the Faculty to meritorious students of 
the two higher classes. They consist of original compositions for the Sen- 
iors, and of translations into and from various languages for the Juniors. 
The refusal of a student lo perform the part assigned him, on either of 
these occasions, or any act of indecorum in its performance, is regarded 
as a high offence. 

In addition to the above, the following rewards and encouragements for 
literary exertion and good conduct have been established in the Univer- 
sity. I. Deturs. — A distribution of books, called " Deturs," is made 
from the income of the Hopkins Foundation, at the beginning of the Ac- 
ademic Year, lo meritorious students of the Sophomore Class, and to 
those Juniors who entered the Sophomore Class, and whose merit would 
have entitled them to this distinction ; and also to such members of the 
Junior Class, as, not having received them in the Sophomore year, shall, in 
the course of that year, make decided improvement in scholarship. 2. 
BowDoiN Prices. — Prizes are annually awarded, by the Faculty, in the 
Second Term of the Academical Year, to such Resident Graduates and 
members of the Senior and Junior Classes as shall write the best and sec- 
oml l>est Dissertations on subjects given out for that purpose, as follows : — 



HARVARD COLLEGE. 39 



A prize oi fifty dollars for Ihe best Disserialion liy a Resident Graduate, 
on either of the subjects proposed for writers of liiat standing ; 

A prize oi forty dollars for tlie best, and a prize of thirty dollars for 
the second best Dissertation by a meniljer of tlie Senior Class of Under- 
graduates, on either of the subjects proposed for thai class; 

A prize of forty dollars for the best, and a prize of thirty dollars for 
the second best Dissertation by a member of the Junior Class, on either of 
the subjects proposed for that class; 

Provided there be so many Dissertations worthy of prizes in the opinion 
of the judges. Instead of the sums of money above named, gold medaU of 
equivalent value will, if preferred, be given to the successful competitors. 
The merit of the Dissertations is adjudged by Comuiiltees appointed for 
that pur()03e by the Faculty, but not of their own number. Prizes are 
also assigned from the Bowdoin Prize Fund, for Latin and Greek Compo- 
sitions, Prose and Verse, under the following regulations : — 

A prize of ttcenty dollars for the best composition in Latin Prose, or 
Greek V'erse, by a member of the Senior Class. 

A prize of fifteen dollars for the best composition in Latin Verse or 
Greek Prose, by a member of the Junior Class. 

The value of the prize will be given in books or money, at the option of 
the successful competitor. 

The subjects for the compositions are given out and the prizes awarded 
by the Latin and Greek Departments, acting, in conjunction with the 
President, as a committee of the Faculty for that purpose, and no prize 
will be awarded unless the absolute merit of the comiKisition shall be such 
as to deserve it. The foregoing prizes are paid from the income of a fund 
bequeathed by the Hon. James Bowdoin, " for the advancement of useful 
and polite literature among the residents, as well Graduates as Under- 
graduates, of the University, in such way and manner as shall be best 
adapted to excite a spirit of emulation among such residents." 3 Bovls- 
TON Prizes. — Agreeably to the institution of the " Boylsion Prizes k>r 
Elocution," on the day after Conmiencement in each year there will be 
held in University Hall, or in the Meeting- house of the First Parish in 
Cambridge, a public exhibition and trial of the skill and in;proveinent of 
the Students of the University in elocution. The speakers are not to re- 
hearse their own composition; but to select pieces in prose or verse from 
English, Greek, or Latin authors, the selections to be approved by the 
Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory, the proportion in English 
being at least two out of three. The competitors must be Graduates of 
the year, or Undergraduates of one of the next two classes; and their 
names must be entered with the Professor, at the latest, fovrtttn days 
before Commencement, no applications being received after that liii.e. 
The Corporation will, each year, select five gentlemen disiinguished for 
their elocution, either at the bar, in the pulpit, or in the senate, who, with 



40 CAMBRIDGE. 



the Corporation, or a major part of them, will judge of the merits of the 
competitors, and award the prizes. They will assign five prizes ; two first 
prizes, namely, fifteen dollars, or a gold medal of that value, to each of 
the two best speakers ; and three second prizes, namely, ten dollars, or a 
gold medal of that value, to each of the three next best; provided that, if 
the judges shall be of opinion that none of the competitors liave exhibited 
sufficient skill and improvement to be entitled to the first prizes, they may 
withhold them. At this exhibition no prompting of the speakers is al- 
lowed; and a failure of memory in any one will exclude him from being 
considered in the assignment of the prizes. 

Various bequests and donations have from lime to time been made to the 
President and Fellows, the income of which is appropriated for the aid of 
deserving students in narrow circumstances. The annual amount thus dis- 
tributed from this source is about fourteen hundred dollars, which has 
heretofore been given as a gratuity, in sums ranging from twenty to sixty 
dollars. As some students prefer to receive the aid in the form of a loan, 
the Corporation have determined to divide the income of their beneficiary 
funds into two parts ; one of which shall still be given as a gratuity, and 
the other granted on loan to such students as prefer to receive the aid in 
that form. Applications for aid from the BENEFicrARY Fund are ad- 
dressed to the President, and must be presented to him on or before the 
\5th day of May in each year, by the parent or guardian, or by the stu- 
dent himself, if of age. The application should state particularly the 
circumstances of the case, and whether a gratuity or a loan is desired. 

In addition to the beneficiary funds here described, of which the Presi- 
dent and Fellows are trustees, there is a " Loan Fund," raised a few 
years since by subscription among the friends of the University, the inter- 
est of which, now amounting to about one thousand dollars, is annually 
distributed to meritorious students desirous of receiving it, in sums rang- 
ing from twenty to eighty dollars. This fund is under the control of a 
Board of Trustees, in Boston; Edward Wigglesworth, Esq., Treasurer. 
Although it has been in operation but about ten years, one thousand dollars 
have been already added to the principal by reimbursements to that ex- 
tent. The applications for the Loan Fund, made in the same manner as 
for the Beneficiary Fund, by the parent or guardian, or by the student 
himself, if of age, should be addressed to the President as early as theSOth 
day of Noxember. 

Beside the foregoing provisions for the aid of meritorious students, the 
various Monitokships, &c., amount to about three hundred and fifty dol- 
lars a year, which may be considered as an addition, to that extent, to the 
Beneficiary Funds of the institution. 

Meritorious students, whose circumstances require it, may, at the 
discretion of the Faculty, be absent for a limited time not exceeding thir- 
teen weeks, including the winter vacation, for the purpose of keeping 



HARVARD COLLEGE. 41 



schools ; the studies and exercises of their class, during the lime of their 
absence, being afterwards performed by them, according to such rules as 
may be established by the Faculty. Applications for permission to keep 
sch(K)l must be presented to the President as early as the I'lth day of Xo- 
vemher, in each year, and no absence will be allowed till a certificate of 
such permission has been first obtained frotn the President. 

The Academical Year is divided into two Terms and two Vacatio.ns. 
The First Term begins six weeks after Commencement on Thursday 
morning, and continues twenty weeks. The First Vacation begins at 
the end of the First Term, Wednesday evening, and continues six weeks. 
The Second Term begins at the end of the First Vacation, Thursday 
morning, and continues twenty weeks. The Second Vacation begins at 
the end of the Second Term, Wednesday evening, and continues six 
weeks. 

The students have leave to pass the Annual Thanksgiving with their 
friends, and for this purpose are allowed to be at)sent from College from 
Tuesday evening preceding, to Sunday evening following that day. A sim- 
ilar recess takes place in the course of the Second Term, beginning on the 
Tuesday preceding the last Wednesday in May. There are no literary exer- 
cises in College on Christmas Day, nor on the Fourth of July. With the 
foregoing exceptions, no student is permitted to be absent from College 
over night, in Term-time, without leave previously obtained of the Presi- 
dent, or the officer designated for that purpose. 

No student, who is not an inhabitant of the city of Cambridge, is al- 
lowed to remain in Cambridge during any vacation without leave from the 
Faculty; and all students so remaining are subject to the laws of the Uni- 
versity, enjoining orderly conduct, and to those respecting the lodging and 
boarding-houses of the students. 

The PoBLic Exhibitions take place on the third Tuesday of October, 
and on the first Tuesday of May. 

The Dudleian Lecture is on the second Wednesday of May. 

The Senior Class Day is on the fourth Friday next preceding Com- 
mencement. 

The Commencement is on the third Wednesday of July, when a public 
literary exhibition takes place at the University, previous to conferring 
the Degrees. The parts in the jwrformances are assigned by the Faculty ; 
and no student, although otherwise qualified, will receive a Degree, who 
refuses or neglects to perform his part, or who performs it in an unbecom- 
ing manner. The degree of Bachelor of Arts is conferred on each 
member of the Senior Class in good standing; but no student is recom- 
mended by the Faculty to the Government of the University for the Bach- 
elor's, or First, Degree, except on the production of a Certificate from the 
Steward that he has paid his College dues, and one from the Librarian that 
he is not a delinquent at the Library; which Cerlificairs mu.'it be pro- 

•1 



42 CAMBRIDGE. 



tluced (in vhe Jay before the Commencement, at the latest, or the degree 
will not be conferred that year. 

The degree of Master of Arts is conferred in course on every Bache- 
lor of Arts of three years' standing, on the payment of the usual fee, who 
shall, in the interval, have sustained a good moral character. Graduates 
of longer standing may also have the Master's degree upon the same con- 
dition. In both cases, application should be made at the Steward's Office, 
either personally or by letter, as soon as the second day before Commence- 
ment. The fee, including the Diplomas, is Jivt dollars, payable in ad- 
vance. 

The necessary expenses of an undergraduate for a year, included in the 
College bill.x, are as follows : — 

Instruction, Library, Lecture rooms 3 75.00 

Rent and Care of Room 15.00 

Board for 40 weeks at $ 2.50 per week 100.00 

Text books (average) 12.00 

Special Repairs, &c. from 1 to 2.00 



$204.00 

Other expenses must vary with the economy of each student. "Wood 
and coal ready for use are delivered at the students' rooms, by the lessee 
of the College wharf, at the market price, usually at $ 6.50 per cord for 
wood, and $ 7 per ton for coal. The rent of rooms in private houses, from 
$30 to $60 per annum. Board in the town, from $2.50 to $3.50 per 
week. The students find their own beds and furniture. 

The bills containing College charges are to be made out by the Steward, 
at the end of each Term; and must be settled within a iceek from the 
corriTnen cement of the. succeeding Term, lawful interest being charged on 
every bill not settled by the expiration of that period. 7'he hill for 
the Second Term of the Senior year must be paid two days at least be- 
fore Commencement ; and no Degree can be conferred 7intil all books 
are returned to the Library, and all dues to the College are discharged. 

The parent or guardian of every student subject to the Patron Law shall 
be informed what are the necessary annual expenses included in the Term- 
bills ; and he shall also be informed by the Patron what funds for the sup- 
port and use of his son or ward must be remitted to him ; and the Patron 
is to have the whole control of the same, under the direction of the Fac- 
ulty ; and no such student is allowed to contract any debt without an or 
der from the Patron, or from his parent or guardian. Every student 
subject to the Patron Law is to be charged in his term-bill at the rate of 
two and a half per cent., as a compensation to the Patron for the dis- 
bursements made on his account ; and no student, subject to this law, 
shall be permitted to continue at the University, unless he comply with it. 



UARVARD COLLEGE. 43 



Inasmuch as circumstanced may render it unnecessary or inconveiiieni 
to apply the foregoing law in all cases, it has been determined, for the 
present, that those students only shall be placed under the care of the Pa- 
tron, whose parents or guardians shall signify to the President their desire 
to that effect, and their willingness to allow the commission above men- 
tioned for his services. Mr. Elijah F. Valentink, dI Lamlindiif, As- 
sistant Steward, has been appointed Patron, and is confidently recom- 
mended to parents and guardians as a uentleman in whose discretion and 
fidelity to the trust entire confidence may be placed. 



"The contrast between Harvard College as it was in 1642, and what it 
is at the present moment, is striking. The first four classes consisted of 
twenty pupils, and the instructors were the President, and, perhaps, a Tu- i 
tor or two. There was a single building for the accommodation of the en- 
tire institution, and somewhat less than three acres of land constituted 
llie whole of its fixed property. At this moment, the pupils, in all the 
departments, number six hundred, or thereabouts, with a good prospect of 
increase; the instructors are twenty-five acting Professors and Ixjcturers, 
five Tutors, and four teachers of tlie modern languages. Beside these, 
are three Astronomical Observers, two Librarians, and various other offi- 
cers of government, of account, and of record. The buildings are fourteen 
in Cambridge, including the Observatory, and one in Boston. The in- 
closure in which are situated the greater number of the buildings contains 
twenty-three or twenty-four acres, and the institution possesses, l)eside8, 
various pieces of real estate in the cities of Cambridge and Bi>ston. Its 
other property, for the purposes of all the departments, amounts to about 
seven hundred thousand dollars. 

"There is nothing more remarkable in the character of the College, 
throughout its whole history, and especially in its later years of develop- 
ment and expansion, than the ease with which, from its organization, and 
its unobserved influence over reflecting nnnds, it is enabled .«|>cedily to 
adapt itself to the varying and growing wants of the public. Its organi- 
zation is a singular si^cimen of skill and good fortune combined. It is 
sufficiently under direct responsibility to the community, through the 
large and constantly changing Board of Overseers ; it is sufficiently steady 
in its course of action, from the comparatively slow changes which take 
place in the Corporation. It is eflicient in instruction, from securing the 
services of leading minds in every branch of knowledge; and it is tolera- 
bly sure of future growth, from the influence it has justly ac(|uired in the 
community by its usefulness. As long a.s it shall retain this power of 
ad iptatioii in ihe public wants, as long as knowledge shall be desired, free- 
dom valued, leligion and virtue reverenced, may Harvard College continue 
to perform its appropriate duties, bestow and receive its appropriate hon- 
ors, be cherished by the public, and live in the hearts of its Alumni." 



MEDICAL SCHOOL. 



MEDICAL SCHOOL. 

The first separate School which was comiecied with Harvard College 
was the Medical School, for which the earliest donaiion was given in 1770, 
by Dr. Kzekiel Hersey, who bequeathed one thousand pounds, lawful 
money, to the President and Fellows of Harvard College, "the inlercal 
thereof to be by them appropriated towards the support of a Professor of 
Anatomy and Physic, and for that u:»e oidy." In 17S2-s3, Medical 
Professordhips were first established, and Drs. Warren, Sen., Water- 
house, and Dexler, were installed in their respective olFicea. Other don.i- 
tions and appointments soon followed, and the School beg;an to be well 
known and esteemed, as early as the beginning of the present ceniury. 
Dr. Warren, the first Professor of Anatomy and Surgery, resided in Hos- 
ton, and gave a portion of his lectures in that city, — a practice which 
was almost the inevitable consecjuence of the peculiar circuinslances at- 
tending ihe pursuit of this branch of study ; both from the greater facili- 
ties for instruction to be enjoyed in the metropolis, and al.io from the 
importance of securing the services of the most eminent men in the pro- 
fession, who would naturally be found there. The School was, neverthe- 
less, considered as situated at Cambridge; and undergraduates, &a well as 
professional students, were permitted to attend the lectures given at the 
College, for a fee somewhat less than other persons. After the establish- 
ment of a Hospital of considerable extent in Boston, the advantages to be 
enjoyed there by the student, in every department of the profession, were 
manifestly so much greater than at Cambridge, that a strong effort was 
made by the Professors to effect the removal of the institution lo Boston, 
and its permanent establishment there. Application was madt; lo ihe leg- 
islature for aid ; and through the strenuous exertions of the IMedical Pro- 
fessors, in conjunction with those of the President (Kirkland), and some 
members of the Corporation, a portion of the large grant obtained in 1SI4 
was appropriated to the erection of the Medical Q.llege in Mason street. 
Boston. From that epoch the growth and prosperity of the School has 
been uninterrupted. It retained, in most respects, its orisinal orsaniza 
tion, until September, 1831, when new statutes were proposed and adopted 
by the Corporation, and approved by the Overseers, constiluling the Presi- 
dent of the University, and the Professors and Lecturers, aulhorizetl to 
give instruction to Medical Students, the :\Ieduai. Faclltv, with author- 
ity to elect a Dean and adopt rules for their own government, provided 
they do not contravene the laws of the University ; and esiabli-shini; the 
principles, times, and modes of the matriculation of stuilenta in Mctlicine, 
the examination to which the candidate for the degree of IXx-.tor of :\Iedi- 
cine shall be subjected, and the conditions with which he must comply t . 
be entitled thereto. 



46 



MEDICAL SCHOOL. 



At the present time, Lectures, of the highest value, are delivered every 
year, by seven Professors, in different departments, and the students have 
every advantage which can he derived from attendance on the Hospital 
practice. The building in Mason street, erected but thirty years ago, not 
more with a view to the actual wants than the probable growth of the 
School, having ceased to accommodate the increasing number of students, 
measures were taken, in the spring of 1846, to erect a new one. A lot of 
land ill the immediate neighborhood of the Massachusetts General Hospi- 
tal was given for the purpose by Dr. George Parkman ; an advantageous 
sale was made of the property in Mason street; a liberal subscription on 
the part of the friends of the University furnished what further assistance 
was required ; and the new edifice was opened, with appropriate ceremo- 
nies, on the 6th of November, 1846. 

The new building will accommodate more than three hundred students, 
beside affording ample space for the Cabinet which has been collected for 
medical and anatomical purposes, as well as for all the other objects of the 
institution. Its situation is highly favorable, being more free from sur- 
rounding buildings than that on Mason street ; and its vicinity to the 
Hospital will greatly promote the convenience of its students. 

This change can hardly fail to be regarded as a decisive mark of im- 
provement in the prospects of a School whose prosperity has long been 
progressive ; and nothing now seems wanting to the rapid and great in- 
crease of the number of pupils, but a mofe general acquaintance with the 
advantages offered by the means of instruction here accumulated, and the 
talents and experience of the Professors. 

The Medical Lectures, on the various branches specified by the Stat- 
utes, are delivered at the (new) Massachusetts Medical College, in North 
Grove street, Boston, where they begin, annually, on the first Wednesday 
in November, at 12 o'clock, noon, and continue four months. Students 
matriculate with the D«ian, by entering their names in a book kept by him 
(which contains an obligation to submit to the laws of the University and 
to the direction of the Faculty of Medicine), and by paying three dollars. 

The following are the Courses of Lectures delivered in this College. 
Obstetrics and Medical Jurisprtidence. — Walter Channingj, M. D. 
Materia Medicaand Clinical Medicine, — Jacob Bigelow, M. D. 
Theory and Practice of Physic, — John Ware, M. D. 
Anatomy and Physiology, — Oliver W. Holmes, M. D. 
Pathological Anatomy, — John B. S. Jackson, M. D. 
Surgery, — Henry J. Bigelow, M. D. 
Chemistry, — Eben N. Horsford, M. D. (pro tern). 

The Clinical Lectures in Medicine and Surgery are given to the class, 
on cases in the INIassachusetls General Hospital, three times a week. Sur- 
gical ojierations at the Hospital are frequent. An abundant opportunity is 
thus furni.shed to students for practical observation and study. 



MEDICAL SCHOOL. 47 



The Lectures on ANATOsivand PHY^^IOLoaY are delivered daily, ami art- 
arrraiiged in such connection that each branch shall serve to ilUi.sirait- 
the other. The demonstrations are aiJed by a large cabinet (the Warren 
Analomical Museum), which is increasing by regular accessions from a 
fund appropriated to the purpose, and from individual contributions. 

The operations of Suugery are illustrated by anatomical demonstra- 
tions of the parts concerned. All the new operations are particularly 
shown. The Professors in this department have provided an e.\iensive 
collection of valuable preparations in wax, to show various tumors and 
diseases of the skin, some colored casts in plaster of Paris, many beauii- 
ful magnified drawings of subjects in anatomy and surgery, and also the 
newly invented surreal instruments. 

Midwifery and Medical Jurisprudence form one department. 
Lectures are regularly given on the Principles and Practice of Midwifery; 
.separate Lectures are given in Operative Midwifery. Abundant opportu- 
nity is furnished to each member of the class to learn the use of instal- 
ments. The Lectures are illustrated by models made in Florence, and by 
plates. The Lectures on Medical Jurisprudence are very much confined 
to the statement of principles, which are illustrated by cases. 

The Lectures on Materia Medica consists of the history of the vari- 
ous articles used in medicine, their i)hysical and medicinal properties, 
their application to the treatment of disease, and the forms, modes, and 
quantities in which they are administered. Specimens of each medi- 
cine, and colored engravings of medicinal plants, are exhibited at the 
Lectures, while an opportunity to observe the elTeci of those most in use 
is affi)rded in the Clinical Lectures given by the Profe.ssor at the Hospital. 

The Lectures on the Principles of Surgery and Clinical Surgery 
contin\ie four months, during which the students visit the surgical patients 
at the Hospital, and attend all the operations. 

In the Clinical Lectures, the Professor speaks of the cases admitted 
into the surgical department of the Hospital, describes the disease, gives 
the diagiiosis and prognosis, with the mode of treatment. In the Clini- 
cal Lectures are described the surgical operations which are performed, 
with such remarks as to the mode of performing them, and the particular 
manner in which each operation is done, as are thought likely to be useful 
and instructive to the students. 

A collection, made in Europe, of plaster models, colored to represent 
various surgical diseases, has been recently introduced into this depart- 
ment. 

The Chemical Lectures are continued during four months, four licc- 
tures being given each week. The chemical apparatus, to which addition." 
are consuntly made, is very extensive, and enables the Professor to illus- 
trate the various subjects with all the requisite experiments. 

The course of the Theory and Practice of Physic embraces the Lee 



4S MEDICAL aCHOOL. 



tures given at the Medical College on the general principles of Pathology 
and Therapeutics, and on the history and treatment of particular diseases, 
and the Clinical Lectures given at the Massachusetts General Hospital. 
A collection of preparations in plaster, to the number of about fifty, admi- 
rably colored, has been recently imported from Paris, for the use of this de- 
partment. These preparations not only serve to exhibit the morbid anat- 
omy of the particular diseases of vk^hich they are examples, but also con- 
stitute a series of illustrations of the various elementary forms of disease. 
Morbid />os^7norfe?w appearances, in recent specimens, form very impor- 
tant means of pathological instruction in this department. This subject 
is also fully illustrated in the special course of Lectures delivered by the 
Professor of Pathological Anatomy. 

The Clinical Lectures on Medicine at the Hospital are given twice a 
week, and occupy two hours each. Students have an opportunity of visit- 
ing all the cases, and of observing and learning the symptoms and treat- 
ment of each case, and particularly of the exploration of the body for the 
PHYSICAL SIGNS of disease, by palpation, auscultation, and percussion. 

Medical Students may attend gratis the public Lectures given by any of 
the Professors, to Undergraduates, at the University in Cambridge. 

Two Annual Prizes are assigned, from the Foundation of Ward Nich- 
olas Boylston, for the best Dissertations on Medical subjects, proposed by 
a Committee appointed by the President and Fellows of the University. 
Each of the prizes is of the amount of sixty dollars, and may be taken 
either in money, or in the form of a gold medal of that value ; but no 
prizes are awarded if no one of the Dissertations presented is thought to 
be of sufficient merit. 

The Faculty holds two examinations, annually, for the medical degree, 
at which three members are a quorum for business. The first examina- 
tion is held on the day next succeeding that on which the winter courses 
end, at ten o'clock, A. M. The second, on the Monday next but one pre- 
ceding the Commencement, in July, at ten o'clock, A. M. In extraordi- 
nary cases, the Faculty may hold meetings for examination at other times. 

The following are the conditions on which students are admitted to ex- 
amination. 

L Each candidate shall furnish evidence that he is Iweniy-one years 
old. 

2. He shall have attended two full courses of the Lectures in this Col- 
lege. Nevertheless, a similar course in any other College or University, 
approved by the Medical Faculty, may take the place of one of these. A 
third course may be attended without fee. 

3. He shall have studied three full years with a regular physician, and 
be of good moral character. 

4. If not graduated in the Arts, he shall satisfy the Faculty in respect 
to his knowledge of the Latin language and experimental philosophy. 



MEDICAL SCHOOL. -19 



Certificateg of competent persons will be received as satisfactory proof 
of these facts. 

Four weeks before examination, he shall hami or send to the Dean a 
Medical Dissertation written by him.self, certificates of time fmni the 
Physicians with whom he has sliuiieil, tickets to the I^ciurw, and the 
graduating fee. which is twenty dollars. The Dean shall submit the Dii 
sertations to the Faculty. 

F^ach candidate having complied with these statutes shall l>c examine<l 
separately in Anatomy. Physiology, Chemistry, Materia Medica, Mid- 
wifery. Surgery, and the Tlieory and Practice of Medicine, and upon lii.-* 
Dissertation. The decision in regard to each shall be made and declared 
to him at the close of his examination, by the votes of the major iwrt of 
the members of the Faculty pre.sent, and. if favorable, shall be recorded 
by the Dean, and by him certified to the President, to be laid before the 
Sennttts Academiois. 

Those candidates who have received from the Sfnattt^ Acadnnictia the 
final approbation and degree will, after the spring graduation, receive their 
diplomas from the Dean ; and those who may be approved at llie simimer 
examination will receive their degrees and diplomas in Cambridge, on 
Commencement-day. 

The fee for matriculation is S3. This fee is to be paid to the Dean by 
all persons who propose to attend any of the courses, ami is appropriated 
to the increase of the Library ; which numbers about 1.200 volumes, and 
contains all the most important elementary works, and those most used by 
students, with the writings of the early Greek and I^tin medical Fathers, 
and the later medical classics, beside numerous valuable modern publica- 
tions. For this Library, the School is principally indebted to the ldx>r- 
ality of its first Professors, by whom it was collected, chiefly from their 
own resources, for the benefit of their pupils, and presenle<l. in Novemlvr. 
1819, to the President and Fellows of Harvard Colleire. Although by the ; 
formal deed of conveyance the inspection and control of " the Libnirv of 
the Massachusetts Medical College " was thus (ii|)on certain conditions) 
vested in the Corporation, they were exonerated from any cxi^n.-e in 
the matter, and the Medical Faculty assumed the whi>le care and mnn 
agement of the Library as one of their College duties. In a.ldiiion to ihe 
contributions of its early patrons and founders, valuable donations have 
been made by Benjamin Vaughan, Ward Nicholas Boylston. and K-Kvard 
Everett. 

Dr. J. C. Warren has exhibited another instance of his truly liberal wi- 
entific spirit, by placing in the School an extensive anatomical cabinM. 
containing the donations of Dr. Nichols, formerly of Lmdon. and others 
with a large number of preparations by himself Valuable additions bavr 
already been made to this collerlion by Drs. Hayward and I-awrenre. .A 
fund has been jziven bv Dr. Warren for its preservation and incre:»se. ir..! 



50 THE BOTANIC GARDEN. 



it is probable that a few year^will produce a Museum which will bear a 
favorable comparison with the best to be found elsewhere. 

The fee for the whole course is S 80. Fees for tickets to the Lectures 
are required to be paid when the tickets are taken out, and no person can 
be admitted to a Lecture who does not exhibit his ticket for the same, 
when called for. 

The Hospital and Library are gratuitous. Tickets for the Dissecting- 
Room, $5. A sufficient supply of subjects is provided by the existing 
laws, furnishing to the class ample means of pursuing the important 
branch of practical anatomy. Board is as low as in any of our cities. 

The fee for graduation is $20; which is deposited with the Dean when 
application is made to him for examination. 

Taking into view the amount of instruction given in this School, the ex- 
tensive apparatus with which it is furnished, its connection with the nu- 
merous cases and operations of one of the best conducted hospitals in the 
United Slates, together with the generally thorough acquisitions and high 
respectability of its graduates, it may be doubted whether any seminary 
in the country offers the means of a more complete professional education 
than may be obtained in the Medical School at Boston. 



THE BOTAXIC GARDEN, 

was established at Cambridge with a view to facilitate the acquisition of 
botanical knowledge, by the introduction of plants from various parts of 
the world, and also by the cultivation of such indigenous shrubs, trees, 
and herbaceous plants, as are worthy of attention on account of their 
medicinal properties, or their uses in domestic economy and the arts. 

So long ago as January, 1784, an attempt was made by the Corporation 
to induce the Legislature of the State to found a Botanic Ganien, in con- 
nection with the University, in consequence of an offer made by the King 
of France, through Mr. St. John, his Consul-General at New York, " to 
furnish such garden with every species of seeds and plants, which may be 
requested from his royal garden, at his own expense." But the design re- 
ceived no countenance from the Legislature, the embarrassments of the 
period, both political and financial, affording an ample apology for the re- 
jection of this and other similar applications. 

Early in the year 1805, a number of gentlemen in Boston and its vicinity 
raised by subscription a sum exceeding S 30,000, and laid the foundation 
of a Professorship of Natural History in the University. By the arti- 
c!e« of its constitution, its funds were placed in the hands of the Treasurer 
of Harvard College, subject to the control of a Board of Visitors, who were 
intrusted with the selection and purchase of a site for a Botanic Garden, 
and with full powers of doine whatsoever in their judgment would enlarge 



THE BOTANIC GARDEN. 51 



and improve the institution, so fur as to render it " most useful lo pronioiB 
the arts and agriculture of the State, and the interest of the University at 
Cainbridse." Mr. William Dandridge Peck having been chosen by the 
subscribers their first Professor, and having been approved as such by tiie 
Corporation and Overseers, was authorized, immediately after his election, 
to embark for Europe, for the purpose of obtaining a knowledge of the 
best and most economical means of effecting the objects of the institution. 
In October, 1807, a site for a Botanic Garden was purchased, which, hav- 
ing been enlarged by a liberal donation of four acres of adjoining land from 
Andrew Craigie, Esq., of Cambridge, the Visitors proceeded to cau.se all 
the requisite buildings lo be erected. On the return of Mr Peck from 
Europe, he entered upon his official duties, and, with the occasional as- 
sistance of a committee of the Board of Visitors, had the superintendence 
of the Botanic Garden until his death, in October, 1S22. 

In establishments of this kind it is usual to employ some person solely 
in collecting plants; but the funds of this institution not being sufTicient 
lo meet such an expense, no person could be regularly engaged in this ne- 
cessary employment, and the number of native plants was consequently 
much smaller than it otherwise would have been. Those friends of the 
institution who possessed greenhouses in the vicinity, kindly contributed 
such exotics as ihey contained; gentlemen who had visited the tropical 
regions of the East and West Indies, and Africa, also presented plants and 
seeds ; and seeds were received from some of the Botanic Gardens in Eu- 
rope. From these various sources the collection was enriched with many 
choice and curious plants, of which a Cataloeue (occupying some fifty fia- 
£es) was published by Professor Peck, in 1^18, " by direction of the Board 
of Visitors, for the use of Visiters, and of Students of Botany in Harvard 
College." A small fee was demanded for admission to the Garden, and 
annual tickets were issued for the convenience of those families and indi- 
viduals with whom congeniality of taste made it a favorite place of re.sorl. 

In November, 1S22, in consequence of the inadequacy of the funds lo 
support a Professor, the Board of Visitors " resolved to assign the care of 
the Garden to a committee, one of whom shall be a Curator, charged with 
such general duties relating thereto as are devolved by the statutes of the 
Professorship on the Professor " ; and the Corporation e.xpre.^sing their 
satisfaction and full concurrence in the measures adopted by the Board, 
Mr. Thomas Nuttall was, in the same month, appointed Curator of thf I!'>- 
tanic Garden, lo hold his office during the pleasure of ihe Board, with the 
same powers of supervision as the statutes vested in the Profes.«or. 

In May, 1831, ihe Trustees of the Massachusetts Society for Promoting 
Agriculture, as pari of the Visitors of the Professorship of Natural His 
tory, being of opinion that, since the discontinuance of the grants of the 
T/Cgislalure, and in the state of the funds of the Professorship, its true in- 
terest required the whole control of the Botanic Garden to be vested in 



52 THE BOTANIC GARDEN. 

the Corporation, as possessing the best means and the most favorable sit- 
uation for the maintenance and improvement of the institution, they made 
known to the Corporation their desire to surrender their trust. While 
they yielded to this proposal, the Corporation expressed their "grateful 
sense of the deep interest which has always been manifested by the Trus- 
tees in the Botanical Institution, and of the great benefits it had derived 
from their friendly care and oversight " ; and assured them that they 
would constantly endeavor to maintain and support it, so far as the posses- 
sion of any funds which could be properly applied to that object would en- 
able them so to do. 

Mr Nuttall continued to perform the duties of the office to which he 
had been appointed, until his resignation, in 1834; from which time till 
the appointment of a new Professor of Natural History, on another Found- 
ation, in 1S42, the care of the Botanic Garden devolved upon Mr. W. E. 
Carter, the Gardener, while the charge of instruction in this department 
was committed to gentlemen temporarily appointed for that purpose by 
the Corporation. 

The ancient glory of the Botanic Garden has long since departed. 
Year by year the funds for its si'pport were sensibly diminished, while the 
wants of the establishment increased with more than an inverse ratio of 
rapidity. The hot-house and fences became so dilapidated that it was 
scarcely possible to repair them, and there were no means for renewal; 
the disposable funds of the College being too small to warrant such an out- 
lay as would be necessary to place the institution in a proper position, at 
a time when there were so many other claims, of the most pressing char- 
acter, upon its bounty. Year after year the College Treasurer, like a 
faithful monitor, warned the community that the means of giving instruc- 
tion in Natural History were rapidly failing ; that the dilapidation of the 
buildings in the Botanic Garden, and the diminution of its funds, were 
still going on ; that it was in danger of becoming a memory of the past 
rather than the hope of the future, — a result which, though it might be 
delayed for a brief period, was finally inevitable, unless speedy aid were 
afforded to the drooping establishment, — and that the fate of an institu- 
tion, in which the public had once taken such an interest, must now de- 
pend upon the exertions of those who desired to see Natural Science en- 
couraged and cultivated, and exerting its proper influence on the charac- 
ter of the country. 

Although the aid so earnestly intreated for has not been forthcoming, 
and sonrw time has now elapsed since the Green- house was abandoned, the 
Garden still drags on a lingering existence; and " it is to be hoped" (to 
use the words of another) "that the liberality of those particularly inter- 
ested in this department of Science is not yet exhausted, but that this 
branch of the College may be soon replaced in the flourishing condition 
in which it once stood, and which its importance deserves." 



DANE LAW SCHOOU 53 | 



DANE LAW SCHOOL, 

The design of this institution is, to afTord a complete course of lepal ed- 
ucation for gentlemen intended for the Bar in any of the Uniie<l Siaica, 
except in matters of mere local law and practice; and also a sysiemaiic 
course of study in Commercial Jurisprudence for those who intend to de- 
vote themselves exclusively to mercantile pursuits. It dales, strictly, from 
the year 1817, when, at the suggestion of the Hon. I.^aac Parker, then 
Chief Justice of Massachusetts, the Hon. Asahel Stearns waa appointed 
University Professor of Law ; with the charge of such students aa might 
choose to pursue their professional studies at Cambridge, and avail them- 
selves of his instruction and of the incidental advantages to be enjoyed 
there. The Royall Professorship of Law, it is true, had been establibhfd 
in 1815, under the will of the Hon. Isaac Royall, who bequeathed to Har- 
vard College a large tract of land, "to be appropriated towards the en- 
ilnwing a Professor of Law in said College, or a Professor of Physic or 
Anatomy, whichever the Corporation and Overseers of said College shall 
judge best for its benefit"; and in 1816, Chief Justice Parker had l)een 
chosen the first Professor on that Foundation. But as he did not reside at 
Cambridge, and gave only a partial attention to the instruction of mem- ' 
bers of the School, it is principally to the fostering care and eminent , 
qualifications of Professor Stearns, that its earliest success must be at- 
tributed. 

In June, 1829, both of the Professors having retired from their respective 
offices, a new and unexpected impulse was given to this department, by 
the liberal proposition of the Hon. Nathan Dane, to lay the foundation of ; 
another Professorship of Law in the University ; coupled with a refiue.-<i ' 
that the Hon. Joseph Story might receive the first appointment thereto. 
Mr. Dane's proffered donation was accepted by the Corporation, and. in I 
accordance with his wish, Mr. Justice Story was immediately elected 
Dane Professor of Law ; and at the same time the Royall Professorship 
was filled by the appointment of John Hooker Ashmun, Escj., of North- 
ampton, to the vacant chair. After four years of valued service. Mr. i 
Ashmun was removed by death from the station which he so nmch hon- < 
ored, and his place was supplied by Professor Greenleaf Under the joint 
administration of Profeasors Story and Greenleaf, the Sch<H)l continued 
to increase in numbers, imporUnce, and resources; and since the de , 
cease of Judge Story, it has maintained its position, under the care of j 
Professor Greenleaf, and, for one year, of Judge Kent, who have been suc- 
ceeded by Judge Parker, of New Hampshire, and the Hon. Thcophilu.t 
Parsons. 

In October, 1831, Mr. Dane advanced the sumof $5.(XX) toward.^ the 
erection of a Law College; and proffering, at the same time, a l..an of 
S 2,000 more, to enable the Corporation to l)egin the work immediat.-ly 'h- j 



54 



DANE LAW SCHOOL. 



requisite measures were forthwith taken for the building of Dane Hall, 
v/hich was completed in October of the year following, (1832,) and dedi- 
cated on the 23d of the same month. 

The prosperity of the Law School continuing uninterrupted, and the 
prospects of the institution being such as to justify, and even require, an 
enlargement of the building appropriated to its use, in compliance with 
the wishes of its officers, a considerable portion of its funds was in 1844 
devoted to that purpose ; and the building now affords ample accommoda- 
tions for a school of two hundred and fifty or three hundred students, with 
rooms for the Professors, Librarian, &c., &c., together with a fine apart- 
ment for the Library. The subjoined cut is a fair representation of the 
edifice at the present time. It is of brick, two stories in height, and 
shaped like the letter T, with a portico in front, supported by four Ionic 
columns. 




The course of instruction in this School is not unlike that pursued 
in other establishments of the kind. The reading of the students is di- 
rected by the Professors, who examine into the results of study, and the 
attainments made by their pupils; Lectures are delivered upon the most 
important branches of law, following, in general, the course of some text- 
book; and moot-courts are held, under the direction of the Professors. 
Students may enter the School in any stage of their professional studies or 
mercantile pursuits ; but they are advised, with a view to their own ad- 
vantage and improvement, to enter at the beginning of those studies, 
rather than at a later period. No examination, and no particular course 



DANB LAW SCHOOL. 55 



of previous study, are necessary for admission; but the student, if not a 
graduate of some College, must be at least nineteen years of age, and pro- 
duce testimonials of good moral character. He also gives a l)ond, in the 
sum of $ 200, to the Steward, with a surety resident in Massachusetts, for 
the payment of College dues ; or deposits, at his election, 8 150 with the 
Steward, upon his entrance, and at the commencement of eachsubsefjuent 
Term, to be retained until the end of the Term, and then to be accounted 
for. No student is matriculated until such testimonials are produced, and 
security given. 

Instruction is given by oral lectures and expositions, (and by recitations 
and examinations, in connection with them,) of which there are at least 
nine every week. 

The Course of Studies is so arranged as to be completed in two Aca- 
demical years; and the studies for each Term are also arranged, aa far as 
they may be, with reference to a course commencing with that Term, and 
extending through a period of two years ; so that those who are beginning 
the study of the law may enter, at the commencement of either Term, upon 
branches suitable for them. Students may enter, also, if they so desire it, 
ni the middle, or other part, of a Term. But it is recommended to them 
to enter at the beginning of an Academical year, in preference to any 
other time, if it be convenient. They are at liberty to elect what studies 
they will pursue, according to their view of their own wants and attain- 
ments ; but, as a general rule, it is advisable for them, during the first 
Term, to confine themselves to few branches, as subjects of regular study, 
giving attendance, however, upon all the Lectures. 

When a student is desirous of pursuing a branch of study which does 
not form the subject of general instruction in that particular Term, the 
Professors will render him aid in its pursuit as a private study. 

The Course of Instruction for the Bar embraces the various branches 
of the Common Law, and of Equity; Admiralty, Commercial, Interna- 
tional, and Constitutional Law ; and the Jurisprudence of the United 
States. Lectures are given, also, upon the history, sources, and general 
principles of the Civil Law, and upon the theory and practice of Parlia- 
mentary Law. 

The Course of Instruction for the mercantile profession is more lim- 
ited, and embraces the principal branches only of Commercial Jurispru- 
dence; namely, the Law of Agency, of Partnership, of Bailments, of 
Bills of Exchange and Promissory Notes, of Insurance, of Ship|)ing, Nav- 
igation, and other maritime concerns, of sales, and, if the students desire 
it, of Constitutional Law. 

lectures and instruction are given, throughout the course, on the Late 
of Real Property, the Civil Law, and Criminal Late, by the Hon. Lu- 
ther S. CusHiNa, Lecturer. The studies in these branches will be under 
his direction, with aid from the Professors in his aKsence. 



56 DANK LAW SCHOOL. 



No public instruction is given in the local or peculiar municipal juris- 
prudence of any particular State ; but the students are assisted by the Pro- 
fessors, as occasion may require, in the private study of the law and 
practice peculiar to their own States. 

Two Moot Courts are held in each week, at each of which a cause, pre- 
viously assigned, is argued by four students, and an opinion delivered by 
the presiding Professor. Clubs are formed among the students, in which 
dissertations upon legal subjects are read, and cases argued. 

The Law Library consists of about 14,000 volumes, and includes all the 
American Reports, and the Statutes of the United States, as well as those 
of all the States, a regular series of all the English Reports, including the 
Year-Books, and also the English Statutes, as well as the principal trea- 
tises in American and English Law; besides a large collection of Scotch, 
French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, and other Foreign Law; and a 
very ample collection of the best editions of the Roman or Civil Law, to 
gether with the works of the most celebrated commentators upon that 
Law. 

The Library is open for the use of students during the Term, and those 
who desire it pursue their studies there, especially in the preparation of 
their Moot Court cases. 

Prizes are annually awarded, at the close of each Academic year, for 
the best and second best Dissertations, written by students of the Law 
School, on subjects given out by the Law Faculty, as follows : — 

A prize of sixty dollars for the best, and oi fifty dollars for the second 
best Dissertation, by a student who has attended the Law School three of 
the four Terms immediately preceding the award. 

A prize of fifty dollars for the best, and forty dollars for the second 
best Dissertation, by a student who has attended two of the three Terms 
next preceding the award. 

The merit of the Dissertations is adjudged by Committees of Counsel- 
lors-at-Law, appointed by the Law Faculty ; and no prize will be awarded, 
if no Dissertation offered shall be deemed to have sufficient merit. 

Students, who have pursued their studies for the term of eighteen 
months in any law institution having legal authority to confer the degree 
of Bachelor of Laws, one year of said term having been spent in this 
School ; or who, having been admitted to the Bar after a year's previous 
study, have subsequently pursued their studies in this School for one year ; 
are entitled, upon the certificate and recommendation of the Law Faculty, 
and on payment of all dues to the College, to the degree of Bachelor of 
Laws. 

The AcADMicAL Year, which commences on Thursday, six weeks af- 
ter the third Wednesday in July (August 28lh, I85I), is divided into two 
Terms, of twenty weeks each, with a vacation of six weeks at the end of 
each Term. 



DANK LAW SCHOOI.. 



The fees are S 50 a Term, and 8 25 for half or any less fraciion of a 
Term; for which sum, wilhnui any adiihional charire. nUitietila have Ihc 
use of the lecture-rooms, ihe Law and College libraries, and ihe icxl 
books; and ihey are admilled free to all the courses of public l^cuirrn 
delivered to the undergraduates in the Academical Dcpartmeni of ihe 
University. 

Upon the payment of a fee of $'•> for each course, the Law Student* 
may also attend the Lectures delivered in the Ltiwrence Scientific School 
on Zoology and Geology, by Professor Agassiz; on Comixiralive Anatoni) 
and Physiology, by Professor Wyman ; on Botany, by Professor Gray 
and on payment of a fee of $ 10, the Lectures on Chemistry, by Profesnor 
Horsford. They may also study any one of the foreign languages taughi 
in the University, on payment of a fee of S 10 per annum. 

The other expenses for a Term are as follows ; — 
Board, twenty weeks, from S 2.50 to 8 3.50 per week, from $ 50 to $70 
Room-rent, including care of room, but not making fires, . 26 to 52 
Furniture, (if the student does not furnish his room), . 10 to 2ii 

Washing, 7 to 1' 

Fuel, for the First or winter Term, from August to January, 12 to 21 

" for the Second or summer Term, from February to July, 
from $6 to $ 10. 
Servant (if one is employed) to make fires, &c , . . 5 to 10 

S lliuo s l-> 
Fuel, prepared for use, is furnished by the lessee of the College wharf, 
at the market price, if the students desire it. 

The Law School is now so extensively known, and its direct and inci- 
dental advantages are so highly appreciated, it has so long maint.iinod an 
elevated rank, and the prospect of its continuance in a similar position is 
so favorable, that it may be considered as well established in public favor. 
Its choice and valuable Library, which contains most of the standard works' 
in English and American Law, and in the Civil Law, together with a 9e 
led a^ssortment of those of the writers of France, Germany, and Spain, 
and which is steadily increasing in sir.e, has already cost nearly S 10 ono 
without including t'le lar-e donations which it has received from private 
')eneficence. The annual fee paid for all its advantaees is but one hundre,! 
dollars. The funds appropriated to the Law School amount tolnrtween 
forty and fifty thousand dollars, a large portion of which has accumulate.! 
from its own resources, beside the sun. mentioned aNn-e. as having been 
paid for its Library.' At a future period, this flourishing department of the 
University will receive the benefit of the late Mr. Bussey's mumfirc.t 
bequest, which will probably afford the means of 3upp..rting two additional 
Professors, as well as a permanent Librarian. 



58 



THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL. 



THEOLOGICAL. SCHOOL.. 

The Theological School first began to be spoken of, as a separate institu- 
tion, at about the time when the Law School was established. Instruction 
in Theology had, for a long period, perhaps from the foundation of the 
College, been given to graduates ; at first by the President, subsequently 
by the Hollis Professor, or by the two together, and, since May, 1811, by 
the Dexter Lecturer; but in 1816 an effort was made to extend the means 
of this instruction, and a society was formed for the purpose of " promoting 
theological education in Harvard College." Something was done at this 
time, in the way of raising money, although the funds of the society were 
chiefly employed, for several years, in cooperation with those of the Cor- 
poration, in extending pecuniary aid to theological students ; and it was 
not until 1819, that the " Theological School " received a more formal or- 
ganization, when the Hollis Professor of Divinity, the Hancock Professor 
of Hebrew, and the Alford Professor of Natural Religion and Moral Phi- 
losophy were authorized, and undertook, to assist in the instruction of 
the School; and Mr. Norton, who for several years had given lectures on 
the Dexter foundation, was appointed Dexter Professor of Sacred Litera- 
ture, and associated with them. An increased number of students in this 
department soon began to appear, and after a few years another combined 
effort was made, and a new board of Directors constituted and incorporated, 
by the name of "The Society for the Promotion of Theological Education 
in Harvard University " ; under whose auspices an edifice for the accom- 
modation of theological students was erected, which, at its dedication, in 
August, 1826, received the name of "Divinity Hall." It is situated on 
"Divinity Hall Avenue," at some little distance from the other College 
buildings, in a northeasterly direction. It is of brick, and contains a 
Chapel f»r religious services, an apartment for the Library, and a reading- 
room, together with apartments for the students, &c., &;c. The Library is 
small, numbering only about three thousand volumes, consisting mostly 
of select works in modern Theology, with some of the early Fathers in the 
original; but the students have free access to the Public Library of the 
University, which in some measure compensates for the deficiencies of 
their own. Means have been recently devised for adding to the Library, 
as published, valuable modern works in the various departments of The- 
ology and Morals. 

The Course of Instruction comprises Lectures, Recitations, and other 
exercises, on all subjects usually included in a system of theological ed- 
ucation, embracing, — 

The Hebrew Language; 

The Principles of Criticism and Interpretation ; 

The Criticism and Interpretation of the Scriptures; 

Natural Religion, and the Evidences of Revealed Religion ; 



THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL. 59 



Systematic Theology, and Christian Elhica; 

Church History, and Church Polity; 

The Composition and nelivery of Sermons ; 

And the Duties of the Pastoral Office. 

The members of the two upper classes have a weekly exercise in the 
practice of extemporaneous speaking, and the members of the Senior 
class preach in the Meeting-house of the First Parish during the summer 
Term. 

Students are entitled to receive instruction from the Instructor in the 
German Language, and to attend gratis all public Lectures of the Univer- 
sity, given to undergraduates in the Academical Department. 

Candidates for admission are requested to present themselves on the 
first day of the Term, and it is considered of great importance that those 
who enter the School should be present at the begirming of the first 
Term. If unknown to the Faculty, they are to pnxluce testimonals of 
their moral and serious character. Those who are not Bachelors of Arts 
will be examined in the following books : — 

Latin Grammar, Virgil, Cicero's Select Orations, and Sallust. 

Greek Grammar, Fellon's Greek Reader, the first four books of Xeno- 
phon's Anabasis, and the first book of Herodotus, or the first two books of 
Xenophon's INIemorabilia. 

Geography, Arithmetic, Geometry, and Algebra. 

Whately's Logic and Rhetoric, (or some other approved treatises on 
Logic and Rhetoric,) I^cke's Essay on the Human Understanding, Slew- 
art's Elements of the Philosophy of the Mind, Paley's Moral Philosophy, 
JoufTroy's Introduction to Ethics, and Butler's Analogy. 

Candidates for admission to an advanced standing must have been en- 
gaged in the study of Theology as long as the cla.-'s into which they pm- 
pose to be received, and must pass an examination in the studies which 
that class has pursued. 

Each student must possess a copy of the Old and New Te.-'lament Scrip- 
tures in the orisinal lansuages, the latter in Grie.^bach's or Tischendorf's 
edition. A copy of all other class-books is furnished on loan. Three 
years, including the vacations, which amount to twelve week.s in each 
year, complete the term of residence, and are deemed necessary for a prop- 
er course of preparation for the duties of the profession. 

Prizes are annually awarded, at the close of each Academical yrar, for 
the best and second best Dissertations, writteji by students of the Divinity 
School, on subjects given out by the Faculty, as follows : — 

A prize oi fifty dollars for the best, and oi forty dollars for the second 
best Dissertation, written by a member of the Senior cla.ss. 

A prize of forty dollars for the be.^t. and thirty dnllars for the second 
best Dissertation, written by a member of the Middle class. 
The merit of the Dis.-'erlaiions will b<; adjml^ed by Committees ap- 



60 THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL. 



pointed by the Faculty of the Divhiity School ; but no prize will be 
awarded if no Dissertation offered shall be deemed to have sufiicient mer- 
it; and the Faculty are authorized to withhold the award from any student 
who, in their judgment, has not been faithful in his attendance upon the 
stated exercises of the School, and in the performance of his required du- 
ties. 

Students are required to reside in or near Divinity Hall. They give 
bonds in the sum of $ 100 for the payment of term-bills, which, including 
charges for instruction, rent and care of room and furniture, and use of 
class-books, amount to $66 annually. Board may be had in the city at 
various prices from S 2.50 to $ 3.50 a week Indigent students are aided 
from Foundations, and other sources 

" It has happened, singularly enough, that the connection of this School 
with the College has been thought disadvantageous by the especial friends 
of both institutions. The patrons of the School have thought it to be 
harmed by its union with the College, and the particular friends of the 
Academic Department have thought this to be injuriously affected by hav- 
ing a Unitarian School associated with it. An injury to its reputation, 
with other denominations of Christians, it may have been ; but, as the 
reciprocal influence of the School and College on each other is practically 
nothing, it seems impossible that the real character of either should suffer 
by the connection. The Theological School has no more direct influence 
on the College than the Law School, — not so much, indeed, — and it seems 
to be forgotten by many persons, that the only connection between them, 
as between any other two departments, is, that they are under the general 
direction of the same board, the Corporation. There is little or no associ- 
ation between the students in any two departments, and the funds are en- 
tirely distinct. Not a dollar of the money given for the support or in- 
struction of undergraduates has ever been diverted from its legitimate 
purpose to the benefit of either of the Schools connected with the College. 
The Parkman Professorship, as is well known, was expressly devoted by 
its principal founder, the Rev. Dr. Parkman, to the purposes of the The- 
ological School ; and the large addition made to the Dexter foundation, 
in 1841, by the Society for the Promotion of Theological Education, was, 
in like manner, expressly appropriated by that society to the same insti- 
tution ; provision being made for the removal of the latter funds, in case 
the School should ever be separated from the College." 

The funds for the support of the institution have been gradually increas- 
ing, till they now amount to upwards of $ 80,000, and two Professors have 
charge of from twenty to thirty pupils. The annual charge for instruction 
is low, being less than S 70, while there are considerable funds for the aid 
of indigent students. The bequest of Mr. Bussey will probably afford to 
this School, as well as to the Law Department, the means of supporting 
two more Professors. 




GRAND REFRACTOR, CAMBRIDGE." 




o 

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CAMBRIDGE. 61 



THE CAMBRIDGE OBSERVATORY. 

This observatory is situated on a commanding eminence called Summer 
House Hill, the summit of which is about fifty feel above the plain on 
which are erected the buildings of the University. This height is found 
to give from the dome an horizon almost uninterrupted to within two or 
three degrees of altitude. The grounds appropriated to the use of the Ob- 
servatory comprise about six and a half acres. It is dist.ant nearly three- 
fourths of a mile northwest from University Hall, and three miles and a 
h;ilf in the same direction from the State House in Boston. 

The wonder and admiration caused by the unexpected appearance of the 
irreal comet in March, 1843, was a great incentive to, and, indirectly, one 
of the principal causes of, the erection of this now celebrated Observa- 
tory, although for many years before it had been a favorite project with 
John Q. Adams, Nathaniel Bowdiirh, and other distinguished advocates 
of astronomical science. But few decisive steps were taken, however, un- 
til the sudden appearance of this brilliant comet, in 1843, when it w;ls 
found that the instruments in Cambridge were entirely inadequate to make 
accurate observations on such a body. This roused the public-spirited 
Boslonians to a sense of the importance of an Astronomical Observatory, 
with instruments of sufficient accuracy to make the necessary observations 
on the heavenly bodies. Accordingly, an informal meeting was held in the 
office of the American Insurance Company, Boston, by several public- 
spirited citizens who were interested in the cause. Soon after, a large 
meeting of merchants and others wa.s held in the hall of the IMarine So- 
ciety, where it was resolved to raise by subscription the funds necessary 
for procuring an equatorial telescope of the first class, and twenty-five 
thousand dollars were immediately subscribeil. Mr. David Sears, of 
Boston, headed the list by a donation of five hundred dollars for this ob- 
ject, besides giving five thousand dollars for the erection of a suitable 
lower to contain this instrument. Another gentleman of Boston sub- 
scribed one thousand dollars towards the telescope; eight others contributed 
five hundred dollars each, for the same object; eighteen gentlemen cave 
two hundred each, and thirty others gave the sum of one hundred dollars 
each. The American Acailemy of Arts and Siences made a donation of 
three thousand dollars, and the Society for the diffusion of Useful Knowl- 
edse gave one thousand. Besides these, the principal Insurance Compa- 
nies of Boston contributed largely. The American, i\Ierchanls', and Na- 
tional Insurance offices, and ihe Humane Society, gave five hundred each ; 
two other companies subscribed three hundred ; and two others gave, re- 
spectively, two hundred and fifty, and two hundred. Thus in a short 
lime an amount was subscribed sufficient for procuring the instrument 
which has contributed so much to the advancement of astronomy gen- 
erally, besides reflecting so much honor on the country at larire. 



62 THE OBSERVATORY. 



The Sears Tower. — The engraving annexed is a correct representa- 
tion of the Grand Refractor, which is placed in the Sears Tower, or cen- 
tral building of the Observatory. A correct view is also given of the 
south front of the Observatory and its two wings. 

The site of the Observatory was purchased by the corporation of Har- 
vard University. The Sears' Tower, so called, in honor of David Sears, 
whose generous donation we have already mentioned, is built of brick, on 
a foundation of granite, laid with cement. It is thirty-two feet square on 
the outside, while on the inside the corners are gradually brought to a 
circular form for the better support of the dome, forming a massive arch. 
This dome, covering the grand equatorial, is a hemisphere of thirty-two 
feet interior diameter, formed with stout ribs of plank, and covered exter- 
nally with copper. There is an opening five feet wide, and extending a 
few degrees beyond the zenith ; which is closed by means of weather- 
proof shutters, and worked by means of an endless chain and toothed 
wheels. 

On the lower side of this dome is affixed a grooved iron rail, and on the 
granite cap of the wall is placed a similar rail ; between these grooves are 
placed eight iron spheres, accurately turned, on which the dome is re- 
volved. The apparatus for moving the dome consists of toothed wheels, 
geared to a series of toothed iron plates, fastened to its lower section. By 
means of this, the whole dome, weighing about fourteen tons, can be 
turned through a whole revolution, by a single person, in thirty-five sec- 
onds. In this dome are placed the "Grand Refractor," and one or two 
smaller instruments. The Comet Seeker, a small instrument of four 
inches aperture, by Merz, is used from the balconies of the dome. Thii- 
is the instrument with which the younger Bond has discovered no less 
than eleven telescopic comets, before intelligence had reached him of their 
having been seen by any other observer. From these balconies a most 
extensive and beautiful view of the neighboring towns meets the eye, 
their numerous hills, spires, &c. 

On either side of the lower is a large wing. Of these, the ea.stern i.-= 
used as a dwelling for the observer; the western, on which is placed the 
smaller dome, is used for magnetic and meteorological observations. This 
wing was erected in the years 1850-51, and adds greatly to the architec- 
tural beauty of the Observatory. In this dome is placed the smaller equa- 
torial, of five feel focal length, and an object glass of four and one-eighth 
inches, made by Merz, which is a remarkably fine instrument. 

The " Grand Refractor," justly considered second to none in the world, 
has already become celebrated in the hands of the skillful and scientific di- 
rector and his assistant, from the many brilliant discoveries which have 
been made with it. Among these we may particularly mention the new 
ring and satellite of the planet Saturn. It has also enabled the observer.^ 
to resolve the principal nebulae, particularly thf>se in the Consleilaiioris 



CAMBRIDGE. 65 



Orion and Andromeda. The object glass was made al the celebrated man- 
ufactory of Merzand Mahler, in Munich, Bavaria, who also were the ma- 
kers of the celebrated telescope at the Pulkova Observatory, which is of the 
same size and mounting as that in Cambridge. The same artists also made 
the Washington and Cincinnati equatorials, besides many others of a 
smaller size in the United States. The extreme diameter of this object 
•;la3s is fifteen and a half inches, although the effective diameter is only 
fi>urteen and ninety-five hundredths inches : the focal length is twenty-two 
feet six inches; the total weight nearly three tons; yet the friction is so 
successfully relieved by the judicious arrangement of wheels and counter- 
poises, that it could be pointed to any quarter of the heavens by the finger 
of a child. 

A sidereal motion is communicated to the telescope by clock-work, by 
which means an object may \)e constantly kept in the field of view, which 
essentially aids the observer in delicate examinations of celestial objects. 
The right-ascension is read oflFby means of an hour circle, eighteen inches 
diameter, reading to one second of time by a vernier, while the declination 
circle is twenty-six inches in diameter, reading also to one second of lime 
or four seconds of arc. The total cost of the instrument was $ 19,842. 
The object glass arrived in Cambridge on the 4ih of December, 1846, but 
the tube and mounting did not arrive until the 11th of June following. 
The instrument was mounted on the 2.3d of June, 1S47, and on the even- 
ing of the same day was first pointed to the heavens. 

The tube of the telescope is of wood, veneered with mahogany and pol- 
ished on the outside. Within, it is lined with paper, and is strengthened 
with iron diaphrams. The flexure of the lube is counteracted and its 
balance preserved by two brass rods, seventeen feet in length, having at 
their extiemilies nearest the eyeend, brass spheres filled with lead, eisht 
inches in diameter. These rods turn on a universal joint near the middle 
or centre of motion, and oppose the influence of gravitation on the longer 
and heavier part of the tube in every position. The centre of motion of 
the whole instrument is twelve feet nine inches above the floor of the 
dome. The focal length of the finder telescope is forty-five inches, and 
its aperture three inches. 

The transit circle is by Sims of London. The object glass, by Merz, is 
four and one eighth inches aperture, and sixty-fiv« inches focal length. The 
circles are four feet in diameter, being cast in one piece, and are both grad- 
uated on silver from 0° to 360° into five minute spaces, which are again 
subdivided by micrometers, a single division of the micronieler head be- 
in? equal to one second of arc, and may be read to two-tenths of a second. 

Be.sides these, the Observatory is furnished with many smaller inslrii- 
menls, and a complete set of meteorological instruments, an astronomical 
clock, and sidereal chronometers. 

One of the most ingenious contrivances connected with the Observa- 



64 THE OBSERVATORY. 



tory is the " observer's chair," invented by the director. By means of 
this cliair, the observer can transport himself to any part of the dome 
without moving from his seat. 

The new method of finding the motion of the earth has been tried at 
the Observatory, and also by Professor Horsford, at the Lawrence Scien- 
tific School. 

During the summer of 1S4S, the director being engaged with the United 
Stales Coast Survey in determining differences of longitude, turned his 
attention to the electro-magnetic method of recording astronomical obser- 
vations The apparatus which it has been found convenient to adopt at 
this Observatory consists of a Grovels battery, & circuit- breaking sidereal 
clock, and a ^'spring-governor.'' These are connected by means of cop- 
per wires leading to all the principal instruments. 

The spring- governor is a machine devised to carry a cylinder with an 
equable rotary motion, so that it may make one entire revolution in one 
minute of sidereal lime; on this cylinder the commencement and termi- 
nation of each second of the astronomical clock is recorded in exact coin- 
cidence with the beats of the clock, the observer at each telescope is 
furnished with a break-circuit key, by means of which he is enabled to 
cause a record of his observation to be made on the paper covering the 
cylinder of the spring-governor among tlie second marks of the clock, in 
such a manner that the tenths, and even hundredths of a second may be 
read off" without difficulty, as the sheet of paper, when unrolled, presents 
the vertical columns in even minutes, and the horizontal in seconds. 

The clock signals are also readily connected with the lines of the tele- 
graph offices, by means of properly arranged, switches, so that in effect 
the beats of the Cambridge clock are as distinctly heard at the offices in 
Boston, Lowell, Burlington, and elsewhere, a^s they are within a few feet 
of the clock, the only limit being the power of the battery ; by commenc- 
ing at the even minute, the time is given all along the line, and this is 
found very convenient in regulating the starling of the Railroad trains. 
This method has been subjected to a long and satisfactory trial, and is now 
considered as a permanent regulation in this Observatory. 

The instrument is mounted accordmg to the German form, which has 
been objected to from the fact that it requires reversal whenever the object 
under examination crosses the meridian. This is felt as a practical incon- 
venience in the Cambridge equatorial, only in small zenith distances, since 
in most instances the telescope passes the meridian by more than an hour 
of right-ascension, and always by more than two hours in southern decli- 
nations. 

There are but one or two points in which the instrument has been found 
susceptible of improvement. The arrangement of both the declination 
and hour circles is inconvenient, causing some needless trouble in reading 
off" the angles. 



LAWRENCE SCIENTIFIC SCHOOL. 6') 



liAWRENCE SCIENTIFIC SCHOOL. 

Practical instruction in the Mathematical, Physical, and Natural Scien- 
ces, upon a more extended plan than that pursued in the undergraduate de- 
partment of Harvard, had been a subject of discussion previous to tlie 
time of President Everett. The materials for it had been accumulaiiue. 
In addition to the Scientific men connected with the College, and the 
largest Library in the country, there were valuable collections of appara- 
tus, numerous specimens of Natural History, a Botanic garden, and an 
Observatory of the first rank in progress of erection. 

President Quincy, through wbose edbrts chiefly the Observatory had 
been commenced, had the satisfaction of seeing this edifice and its ap 
pointments far advanced at the time of his resignation. 

In the inaugural address of President Everett, the project of a separate 
Scientific School received its first distinct announcement. About this 
time a vacancy occurred in the Rumford Professorship by the resignation 
of Professor Treadwell. This situation was filled by the election of Pro- 
fessor Horsford of New York, who soon after his arrival in Cambridge sub- 
mitted to the Corporation a plan for the erection and furnishing of a Lab- 
oratory for instruction in Chemistry and its applications to the arts, con- 
templating an expense of $50,000. This plan, in an able letter from the 
Treasurer, Hon. Samuel A. Eliot, was laid before Hon. Abbott Lawrence. 

To this appeal Mr. Lawrence responded in a spirit of munificence al- 
together unexampled. The gift was accompanied by a letter, proiwsing, 
in addition to the erection of suitable buildings, including a Laboratory, to 
found two new Professorships, one of Zoology and Geology, and another 
of Engineering, which with the Rumford Professorhips were to constitute 
the nucleus of a School for the •'acquisition, illustration, and dissemina- 
tion of the practical Sciences." 

Soon after the receipt of tlie donation of IMr. Lawrence, Professor Agas- 
siz of Switzerland was invited to the chair of Zoology and Geology, and 
at a later period Lieut. Eustis of the army to that of Engineering. At 
the Commencement of 181S the Corporation conferred upon the Institution 
the name of L.vwre.vce Scievtific School. 

In the summer and autumn of 1S49, a Laboratory, unsurpassed in Europe 
even, in its conveniences for practical instruction, was erected and fur- 
nished, and in the year following a buildin? was constructed for the tempo 
ry accommodation of the departments of Zoology, Geology and Engineerinir. 
Besides the Professors already mentioned, the Faculty of the Scientific 
School embraces Professor Peirce in the department of INIathematics, Pro 
fessor Lovering in Physics, Professor Gray in Botany, Professor Wyman 
in Comparative Anatomy and Physiology, and the Messrs. Bond at the Ob- 
servatory. 



66 LAWRENCE SCIENTIFIC SCHOOL. 



COURSES OF INSTRUCTION. 

Our readers are furnished with an accurate engraving of the main build- 
ing occupied by the Lawrence Scientific School. The frame building on 
llie left is the School for Engineering. We will now proceed to detail the 
courses of instruction in the Lawrence Scientific School, Cambridge. 

Instruction is given in practical exercises, lectures, or recitations, accord- 
ing to the nature of the study, and at the discretion of the instructor. 

Candidates for admission must have attained the age of eighteen years, 
must have received a good common English education, and must be quali- 
fied to pursue to advantage the courses of study to which they propose to 
give their attention. They must furnish satisfactory evidence of good 
moral character, and give bonds, in the sum of $ 200, with a surety resi- 
dent in Masachusetts, for the payment of all dues to the School. 

Members of the School, on leaving it, will receive a certificate of the 
number of Terms for which they have been attached to it, and of the stud- 
ies pursued by them. 

It is in contemplation by the corporation to give diplomas to members 
of the School who shall have passed a satisfactory examination in any of 
its departments. 

The number and choice of studies to be pursued are optional on the part 
of the students, who will, however, be counselled on these points by the 
Professors. Attendance on the lectures and recitations is voluntary. For 
this as well as other reasons, the government of the University wish whol- 
ly to discourage the resort of young men to the Scientific School who do 
not, in the opinion of their parents and guardians, possess that stability of 
character and firmness of purpose which will insure a faithful perform- 
ance of duty, without academic discipline. 

1. Chemistry. — Professor Horsford will receive special students to the 
course of experimental instruction in Chemistry, who will give their at- 
tendance in the Laboratory from 9 o'clock A. M. till 5 o'clock P. M. 

The course, at the conclusion, of elementary qualitative and quantita- 
tive analysis, will be modified to meet the wants of those designing to pur- 
sue practical analysis, manufacturing, metallurgy, medicine, engineering, 
agriculture, instruction, or research, and proportioned in duration to the 
objects and previous acquisitions of the student. Excursions will be made 
in term-time to manufacturing establishments in the neighborhood, where 
the practical application of Chemistry to the arts may be witnessed. 

2. Zoology and Geology. — The instruction in this department con- 
sists, alternately, of a course of Lectures by Professor Agassiz on Zoology, 
embracing the fundamental principles of the classification of animals, as 
founded upon structure and embryonic development, and illustrating their 
natural affinities, habits, geographical distribution, and the relations which 

— 



LAWRENCE SCIENTIFIC SCUOUL. 



exiiii between llie living and extinct races; and nT a ci.)nrse nn Getik>j.'y 
both llieoreiical and practical. The course on Geology will be delivereii 
I during the first term. , 

Besides the instructions of the lecture-room, Professor Agassiz will af 
ford to the students access to his laboratory during certain hours, in order 
to show them how to observe isolated facts, how to determine living and 
fossil animals, how to identify rocks of dilTerent formations, and how to 
conduct a regular geological survey. For those who intend to make a fur 
ther study in these sciences, excursions in the neighborhood will Ije made in 
term-time, and longer excursions in vacation, to those parts of ihectiuntry. 
near or remote, which oifer the most instructive field of observation. 

3. Engineering. — Professor Eustis will receive special students to the 
course of instruction in Engineering, who will give their attendance at the 
School from 9 o'clock A. M. to 5 o'clock P. INI. 

The course will include instruction as follows: — 1. Descriptive Ge- 
ometry, with its application to masonry and stone-cutting, the construc- 
tion of arches, &c. 2. The theory of shades, shadows, and pers|)cctive, 
illustrated by a course of drawing and mapping in all its branches, 'i. 
Surveying, with the use of the instruments, and actual operations in the 
field. 4. The nature and properties of building materials, and their appli- 
cations to the construction of railroads, canals, bridges, &c. For tho.se 
who are not sufficiently prepared, the course will commence with a review 
of such parts of practical mathematics as may be required. 

4. Botany. — Professor Gray will give, during the Second Term, at the 
Botanic Garden, a course of twenty-four Lectures, or lessons, on Stmctu- 
ral Botany and Vegetable Anatomy, with microscopical demonstrations. 

5. Comparalive Anatomy and Physiohgy.— Dr. Wyman will give 
special instruction in this Departmant, consisting, — 

1. Of a course of microscopic examinations of the different tiss-ues of 
animals. 2. Of a series of dissections illustrating the anatomical charac- 
ters of the different subdivisions of the Animal Kingdom. 3. Of demon- 
strations of the physical and physiological phenomena of animals. 4. Of I 
the study of Embryology and the development of tissues. 

During the year a course of Lectures will be given to special students 
on Comparative Anatomy and Physiology ; also a course on Human Anat- 
omy and Physiology, to the members of the Senior Class, to which mem- 
bers of the Scientific School are admitted without charge. A Laboratory 
is provided for the use of students, and the Anatomical Museum is ar- 
ranged for the purpose of study. 

6. Astronomy. — Practical Astronomy and tlie Use of Astronomical 
Instruments will he taught at the Observatory, by Mr. William C. Bond, 
Director of the Observatory, and Mr. George P. Bond, Assistant Observer. 



6S 



LAWRENCE SCIENTIFIC SCHOOL. 



7. Mathematics. — Inslruclion will be given in the Higher Mathemat- 
ics, and especially in Analytical and Celestial Mechajdcs, by Professor 
Pierce. 

Private instruction in the various branches of Mathematics will be given 
to those desirous of receiving it, by competent instructors residing at the 
University. 

The following courses of Lectures delivered to Undergraduates will be 
open without charge to members of the Scientific School. 1. A course on 
Mineralogy, by Professor Cooke. 2. A course on Systematic Botany ac- 
cording to the Natural System, by Professor Gray. 3. A course on Phys- 
ics, by Professor Loveri ng. 4. A course on Human Anatomy and Phys- 
iology, to the Senior Class, by Professor Jeffries Wyman. 

The formation of a Museum of Natural History, on an extensive scale, 
has been commenced, under the superintendence of the Professors in the 
several Departments. The Mineralogical Cabinet of the University, the 
Rumford and Philosophical Apparatus, the Anatomical Museum, the Bo- 
tanic Garden, the Observatory, and the Public Library, will be accessible 
to the students of the Scientific School. 

Fees. — For special instruction of those who become private pupils of 
any Professor, and pursue studies, practical exercises, experimental re- 
search, or make excursions, under his particular direction, the fees 
are, — 

In the department of Chemistry, for instruction six days in the week, 
per Tern; of twenty weeks, Jl/ty dollars. For laboratory apparatus, and 
supplies, twenty-Jive dollars. For three days in the week, two thirds, and 
for one day, one third of the above sums. 

The special students in Chemistry will also supply themselves, at their 
own expense, with such articles of apparatus as are consumed in using, 
such as flasks, corks, tubing, lamps, crucibles, &c., together with alcohol 
and platinum, gold and silver solutions. 

Students who have passed two years in the Laboratory will be thereafter 
entitled to instruction with the charge only for Laboratory apparatus and 
supplies. 

In the Department of Engineering, for instruction six days in the week, 
,fifty dollars per Term. For three days in the week, two thirds, and for 
one day, one third of the above sum. 

The special students in Engineering will supply themselves with conven- 
iences for drawing, nece.sisary text-books, &c. 

In the Department of Zoology and Geology, fifty dollars per Term. 

In the Department of Comparative Anatomy and Physiology, for three 
days in the week, ticenty-five dollars per Term. 

In any of the other Departments, the fees for special instruction may be 
agreed upon with the instructor, but shall not exceed fifty dollars per 
Term. 



LAWRENCE SCIENTIFIC SCHOOL. QH 



The other expenses for a Term are as follows ; — 
Board, twenty weeks, from $ 2.50 to S 3.50 {)er we«k, from S ^' to 8 "i' 
Room- rent, including care of room, but not making fires, . 26 to 5;^ 
Furniture (if the student does not furnish his room), . 10 to 2U 

Wa.shiMf, . . . , . . . 7 lo 15 

Fuel, for the First or winter Term, from August to January, 12 to 21 

" for the Second or Summer Term, from February lo July, 
from S6 to S 10. 
Servant (if one is employed) to make fires, tScc, . . 5 to in 

• no tuSl'v-^ 

For any further information that may be wanted by persons at a dis- 
tance concerning the School, application may be made to Professor E. N. 
Horsford. Dean of the Faculty, at Cambridge. 

The Lawrence Scientific School was opened for instruction to Siudeni-s 
on the 7lh of November, 184S. On that day the Class in Chemistry en 
lered the Laboratory erected by funds provided by Mr. Abbott Uiwrence. 

The building of the new Laboratory was commenced under the personal 
directions of the founder. 

The Laboratory of the Scientific School is forty-four feel wide by eighty 
feet long, and consists of two main stories of eighteen feel each, besides a 
basement of nine and a half feet. Each main story is, at the north end 
of the building, divided into two stories of eight and a half feet each. 
Two clusters of chimney-flues rise from near the centre of the edifice, pro- 
viding ample ventilation for all the working apartment.--, ami meeting the 
wants of the furnaces and various pharmaceutical apparatus. The ba.s«« 
ment includes apartments for a steam-b<;)iler and engine, for fuel, storage, i 
and for coarser laboratory work. 

Upon the first floor, occupying the front half is a lecture-nxirn. In ini 
mediate connection, lying beside the clusters of flues, is the pharmaceuti- 
cal laboratory. These, with the Profe-ssor's private latwratory, are of the 
full height. The Professor's study, the apparatus-room, and mairazinc of 
substances below, and a sales-room for chemicals and apiwratus for ."iKs-i.il 
students, and a room for chemical preparalion.s above, each eight and a 
half feet high, with the hall and stairways, complete the first main Hlory. 

The second floor is occupied in front for instniction in analysis. Tl»e 
furnace-room, with its conveniences for organic analysis and distillation, 
is in immediate connection. Both ajxirlmcnts are of the full heicht 
Opening into the furnace-room is, on one side, an apartment for apjwni 
tus to be loaned to students, and on the other, a room for reagent snpplir.i 
for the instruction-room or analytical lahiratory. At the north end of 
this floor, distant from noise and ga.ses, are three well-lighted aiwrtmenis. ^ 
one for a library, another for the air-pump, hydraulic pre-ss, and for dcsic i 
cation, and the third for balances. Alx-ve, the corn's|Kniding aparlniout.s j 
arcocrni)ied by the Janitor's family and the .\ssisiant. 



70 LAWRENCE SCIENTIFIC SCHOOL. 

The entire edifice, and the Professor's dwelling in connection, are 
warmed by steam, from the boiler in the basement of the Laboratory. Be- 
side healing the suite of apartments, the steam is employed to pump wa- 
ter from a cistern in the basement into the boiler, and also into a reservoir 
in the attic, from which it is distributed throughout the building. It also 
heats a large water- bath and steam drying-chamber, and discharges distilled 
water in the analytical laboratory ; and is arranged to fulfil similar offices 
in the Professor's private laboratory, and the pharmaceutical laboratory. 

Each student's working place is nearly five feet in length, is supplied 
with a suit of about forty reagents, a closet for apparatus, and six drawers. 
Each pair of places has a supply of rain-water, a bowl, and waste. The 
apartment will accommodate thirty-six chemists, and, if required, the fur- 
nace-room and pharmaceutical laboratory would accommodatej though less 
conveniently, sixteen more. 

The enlightened views of the founder, and the ample means appropriat- 
ed to the erection and furnishing of the Laboratory, will ultimately have 
made the conveniences for instruction equal to those of any similar estab- 
lishment in the world. 



RESIDENT GRADUATES. 

Graduates of the University, or of other Collegiate Institutions, desir- 
ous of pursuing their studies at Cambridge without joining any of the 
Professional Schools, are permitted to do so, in the capacity of Resident 
Graduates. They are allowed to enjoy the use of the Library and scien- 
tific collections, on the payment of Jive dollars a year, one half in advance 
at the beginning of each Term. 

They give the same bonds as Law Students for the payment of College 
dues, and are subject to the same laws and regulations, as far as they are 
applicable ; and they may attend all the Lectures given in the University, 
upon the same terms as Students in the Professional Schools. 



SUMMARY. 

Whole number of those who have received Degrees at the University, 7941 

Of whom have died, 4579 

JVumber still living. . 3262 

Whole numlier of graduates in the Collegiate Department, 6342 

Of whom have died, 416i5 

Number still living, ... .... 2177 

Whole number of graduates, for the ten years preceding and ending 
with July Inth. IS.'jI : — 

In the Collesiaie Department, 625 

" " Medical " 3.51 

" " Law " 418 

" " Theological " 85 

" '■ Scientific " 4 



LIBRARY OP THE UNIVKRSITV. 71 



LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY. 

The liibrary ia coeval wilh the esiablishmeiu of the College. lis found- 
ation was laid in the bequest of John Harvard, who, in that first munifi- 
cent oblation upon the altar of civil, religious, and intellectual freedom, 
included a collection of works by no means insignificant either in number 
or value. His example, noble in itself, was, perhaps, still more valuable, as 
an incentive to exertion in others. " The Honorable ISIagistrates and Rev- 
erend Elders " acknowledged its influence, by a voluntary contribution of 
£,'200 value, in books; while individuals at home and abroad, — promi- 
nent among whom stands the name of John Winthrop, the honored Father 
of the Massachusetts Colony, — followed with donations, not only of 
books, but of types to print them. In 1675, Dr. John Lighlfool, one of the 
most learned and eminent of English divines, be(iueathed to Harvard Col- 
lege " his whole library, containing theTargums, Talmuda, Rabbins, Poly- 
glot, and other valuable tracts relative to Oriental literature " ; and this in 
valuable bequest was soon followed by that of the eminent Theophilus 
Gale, D. D., who, in the spirit of far-reaching benevolence and judicious 
liberality which had characterized his whole life, devoted his whole estate, 
real and personal, at his decease in 1677, to the advancement of education 
and the promotion of learning ; and with that view left his entire library, 
one of the most select and valuable in the possession of a private individ 
ual at that day, to the " School of the Prophets " in New-England ; an ac- 
cession, say the records of the period, " which was more than equal to all 
that was in the College library before." In the year 1719, was received the 
first remittance of books from Thomas Hollis, — the first in that long 
series of benefactions, continued through a period of fifty-five consecutive 
years, by three generations and six individuals of the same family and 
name, affording an instance of " unparalleled and unceasing munificence " 
which may well challenge the admiration of succeeding ages. The son of 
a parent distinguished for liberality, Hcllis " caught and wore the paternal 
mantle with a ready and enduring spirit. His appointment as one of the 
trustees of the legacy of his maternal uncle, Robert Thorner, to Harvard 
College, first turned his attention and thoughts to this institution ; and. 
once fixed, they were never afterwards withdrawn. The interest he took 
in its prosperity was general, constant, and unwavering. His benefactions 
commenced the year succeeding his father's death ; and from that lime his 
bounty flowed towards the College in one continuous stream. He was in 
the practice of transmitting, almost every year, trunks of books, generally 
well selected and valuable, with directions to his correspondent, Dr. Col- 
man, ' to examine them, take out for the College such as its library had 
not already, and to give the rest to specified individuals, or to such young 
ministers, who may need and make good use of them.' His zeal for the 
College library was intense. He contributed to it liberally himself and was 



72 



CAMBRIDGE. 



urgent in soliciting his friends for their assistance. Through his instru- 
mentality the College received donations of books from Isaac Watts, Dan- 
iel Neal, William Harris. John Hollis, and others. He first suggested to 
the Corporation the want of a catalogue, which, he writes, if he pos- 
sessed, he should be able materially to serve the College, since many were 
deterred from sending books, through fear that they might be already in the 
library. The Corporation immediately ordered a catalogue to be prepared, 
and, when it was completed, sent eight dozen copies to Hollis for distribu- 
tion." In addition to the valuable contributions of Hollis, donations or 
bequests, for the library, were received, during the first half of the ISth 
century, from the Rev. Thomas Cotton of London, Dean Berkeley, the So- 
ciety for the Propagation of the Gospel, William James of Jamaica, and 
the Hon. William Dummer. 

In January, 1764, Boston being infected by the Small Pox, the General 
Court was adjourned to Cambridge. The College Library was occupied by 
the Governor and Council, and the hall below by the Representatives. At 
midnight of the 24th of January, " in the midst of a severe cold storm of 
snow, attended with high wind," a fire broke out, which destroyed Har- 
vard Hall, with all its contents, consisting of the library, philosophical 
apparatus, and many articles belonging to different persons, who had 
rooms in the building. The other College edifices were in imminent dan- 
ger, and took fire several times; but by the vigorous efforts of the citizens 
of Cambridge, united with those of the members of- the Legislature, the 
progress of the flames was arrested, and all were saved except Harvard, 
the most valuable of the halls, which, with the best library and philo- 
sophical apparatus in America, comprising the collections and donations of 
more than a century, utterly perished. Thus, at one fell swoop, were de- 
stroyed the entire libraries of John Harvard, Dr. Lightfoot, and Dr. Gale, 
with the donations of Sir Kenelm Digby, Sir John Maynard, Bishop 
Berkeley, and a host of other distinguished benefactors ; the font of types, 
Greek and Hebrew, the books, &c., presented by the first Thomas Hollis, 
together with "his picture, as large as the life " ; the telescopes, the globes, 
the philosophical instruments, the College records, and a long catalogue 
of articles, " which, if they had been preserved to our day, would have 
been of incalculable and inexpressible interest to the literary and scientific 
inquirer, as well as to the historian, the antiquary, and the bibliographer." 
The library contained at this time above five thousand volumes, all of 
which were consumed, except a few books in the hands of members of the 
House, and two donations, from Lieutenant-Governor Dummer and Holli.<, 
the younger, which, having been but lately received, had not been un- 
packed, and thus escaped the general ruin. "Great as this misfor- 
tune was, it happily occurred at a moment when the Legislature of the 
Province had just evinced a favorable disposition to the College by the 
erection of Hollis Hall, and when the people of Massachusetts were guided 



LIBUARY OF THS UNIVERSITY. 73 



by those disiinguislied men, who soon afier led Uie way lo iialionol hide- 
jjeiideiice. I\Iany of ihem were Alumni of ihe Collet'e ; and i' ' ic- 

knowledged the importance of the inslitulion, and uniletl in n.. lo 

repair the losses it had sustained." The Legislature resolved, uniuiiiiioua- 
ly, that Harvard Hall be rebuilt at the expense of the Provitice, granieil 
£ 2,U00 to begin the edifice, and appointed a commiiiee of both broncheji 
to superintend the work. The corner-stone of the new building — the 
present Harvard Hall — was laid on the 2Gth of June, 17G4, by His hjtcel- 
lency. Governor Bernard, accompanied by the Comnntlee ap|x)inled by 
the General Court to rebuild the same, and the edifice was completed in 
June, 1766, at an expense of S 23,000. In a few years, by the cmicen- 
traled efforts and influence of individuals and the Provincial Govenuneiit, 
a library was collected within its walls, which soon attained an extension 
corresjwnding to the increase and prosperity of the Colonies. ForcnKwt 
among those who stepped forward at this time to repair the loss of the Li 
brary, was Thomas Hollis, the younger, usually called "of Lincoln's Inn." 
As soon as he was apprised of the event, he subscrilwd ,£2110 sterling 
for the purchase of new apparatus, and the same sum for the library ; 
which ne also enriched, at different times, with a great number of curious, 
valuable, and costly works. His donations lo the College during his life- 
time exceeded £ 1,400 sterling ; and at his death, in 1774, he b«iucathed 
an additional sum of £ 500. 

In 1775, immediately after the battle of Lexington, an army began to 
collect at Cambridge, the College buildings were converted into barrarks. 
and the government and students were removed to Concord, wher» they 
continued fourteen months; the library and apparatus having been previ- 
ously conveyed to Andover, and a part of it afterwards to Conconl, by or 
der. and at the expense, of the Provincial Congress. In the ounimcr of 
1776, they returned to Cambridge, and on the 21st of June the studenla 
were again assembled within the College walls, though the library and ap- 
paratus, in consequence of the unsettled state of affairs, were not restored 
until the summer of 1778, more than two years from the lime of their re- 
moval. 

The origin and early progress of the College Library, and its destruction 
and restoration, have been related, and its history has been brought down 
to the period of the American Revolution. In 17&1, at the time of its loss 
by fire, the number of its volumes was estimated at five t»iou.sand ; and in 
the year 1790, at twelve thousand. The subsequent additions have been 
numerous and valuable, but few of them can be particularizod here. B*-- 
side the benefactions of Thoma-s Hollis, the younger, and of Thom.-w Brand 
Hollis, the names of Hancock, Hubl>anl. Erving. Boylston, Thomas, and 
Taylor, with a legion of others, might be mentioned as havin? honorptl the 
institution and themselves by their contributions. Samuel Shapleigh. ' a 
virtuous son and faithful Librarian of Harvard College." devoted his whole 



74 . CAMBRIDGK. 



estate (with the exception of a few legacies), amounting to $3,000, to the 
increase of its Library,, in the department of polite literature. In the year 
1818, Israel Thorndike purchased the library of Professor Ebeling, of Ham- 
burgh, at a cost of $6,500, and presented it to the University ; thus secur- 
ing to his native country one of the most complete and valuable collections 
of works on American history extant. Thomas Palmer, a worthy son of 
Harvard, whose name had already been enrolled among its distinguished 
benefactors, at his death in 1820, exhibited his atfection for the place of his 
early education by bequeathing to it his whole library, consisting of twelve 
hundred select and valuable works, valued at $2,500. In 1823, Samuel A. 
Eliot, of Boston, presented Warden's extensive collection of books on 
American History, consisting of nearly twelve hundred volumes, beside 
maps, charts, and prints, at a cost of upwards of $ 5,000. In 1833, Samuel 
Livermore, Esq., another talented son of Harvard, bequeathed to his Alma 
Mater his whole library of foreign law, consisting of the works of the 
leading civilians and jurists of continental Europe, and amounting in num- 
ber to upwards of three hundred costly volumes, valued, in the inventory 
of his estate, at $ 6,000. As a collection of rare and curious learning, it is 
said to be probably unsurpassed, and perhaps not equalled, in value, by any 
other collection of the same size in America, if it be in Europe. In 1842, 
a subscription was made for the Library, by thirty-four gentlemen, to the 
amount of $ 21,008. In 1844, Horace A. Haven, a graduate in the Class of 
1842, cut down in the freshness of early promise, marked his devotion to 
the cause of Science by bequeathing the sum of $ 3,000 for the purchase of 
mathematical and astronomical works. In 1845, the Hon. Judge Prescott 
having bequeathed, for the increase of the Library, the sum of $ 3.000, it 
was appropriated to the purchase of a valuable collection of works on 
America, from the well-known Mr. Rich, of London ; thus giving some- 
thing like completeness to what had become one of the most important 
departments of the Library. 

For nearly seventy years, Harvard Hall had been the repository of the 
College Library. This edifice is not fire-proof; and, weakened by time, it 
gave indications of being unequal to support the weight of the increasing 
number of volumes, and of the concourse of persons to which it was sub- 
ject on public occasions. The library, too, had outgrown the capacity of 
the building, and more space was requisite for the arrangement and preser- 
vation of those treasures, the accumulations of public and private munifi- 
cence, which, if once lost, could hardly be replaced. Actuated by these 
considerations, the Corporation resolved to apply a portion of the munifi- 
cent bequest of the Hon. Christopher Gore to the erection of a suitable ed- 
ifice for the accommodation and protection of the library ; and it was de- 
termined, after consultation with his friends, that, since this application of 
his funds was deemed imperative, the building erected should be of suf- 
ficient capacity to contain the probable accumulation of books during the 



LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY. 



present century, that it should be as far as possible fireproof, and that in 
niiUerial and architecture it should be an enduring monument to hi.s mem- 
ory, and worthy to represent the liberal spirit of so distinguished a bene- 
factor of the Institution. Accordingly, on the 2;">th of April, l6:iS, the 
Corporation laid the corner-stone of a building to which they gave liic 
name of their once honored associate, the late Governor Gore. 




GORE HALL.. 

This edifice was begun in lSi7, and completed in 1839-40, at a cost 
of $73,512.28; and the books were safely removed, and deposited therein, 
in the summer of 1841. The building presents a very pure specimen of 
the Gothic style of the fourteenth century in its form and proportions, 
while the hard sienite or Quincy granite, of which it is con.>iiructed. 
made it necessary to omit the elaborate ornaments with which this style 
is usually wrought. The towers, buttresses, dripstones, and all the parts 
which form projections, or the sides of ofwnings, are, however, finished 
by smooth, hammered faces ; while the walls are rough, but laid in regu- 
lar courses. In its plan, the building forms a Latin cross; the length of 
the body being 140 feet, and that of the transepts Sli feet. The principal 
fronts are south and north : with octagonal towers rising from the ground, 
on each side of the principal entrances, to the hnight of S3 feet. These 
four towers are connected only with the walls of the vestibules; and in 
the form and position of these, as well as in the proportiorvs of the bo<ly of 



76 CAMBRIDGE. 



the building, exclusive of the transepts, the design of the exterior was 
taken from King's College Chapel, at Cambridge, England. 

On entering the interior of Gore Hall, we are presented with two ranges 
of columns, ten in each range, which rise from the floor to the ceiling. 
This open space resembles the nave of a small cathedral, being 112 feet 
long and 35 feel high. The ceiling is formed of groined vaults, ornament- 
ed by ribs rising from the columns and intersecting each other in various 
points. The appearance of the whole is imposing ; hardly surpassed, in 
effect, by any room in this country. The books are placed in the alcoves, 
which are formed by partitions running from the columns to the walls of 
the building, somewhat in the form of the chapels in the aisles of many of 
the Catholic churches. The partitions, which form the alcoves, rise from 
the floor to the ceiling, 35 feet, and this space is divided by a gallery, which 
is formed over the whole space outside of the columns, at the height of 12J 
feet from the floor. The gallery floor is supported entirely by bars of 
wrought iron, passing from one partition to another, across the alcoves. 
The side of this gallery, between the columns, is guarded by a light iron bal- 
ustrade ; the whole, therefore, intercepting in no essential degree the view 
of the ceiling, or any part of the interior, from the floor. The ascent to 
the gallery is made by light staircases placed outside of the columns, and 
there are narrow openings through the partitions, above the gallery, be- 
hind each column, to give a passage from one alcove to another. The low 
er part of the west transept is formed into a convenient room for the libra- 
rian, while above the gallery it forms a large alcove open to the body of the 
building. The heads of the windows are equilateral arches, and the mul 
lions and tracery are copied from buildings of the age to which the design 
of this belongs. Ground glass has been used in all the windows, though 
it is to be hoped that, hereafter, its place may be supplied, at least in the 
windows of the principal fronts, by paintings. 

In the construction of this edifice, it was determined, at the outset, to 
use every precaution which the funds of the College would allow, to guard 
the library from destruction by fire. In every part of the structure, there- 
fore, wood has been rejected, where its place could be supplied without a 
very great increase of cost in the construction, or inconvenience of some 
kind in the use, by stone, brick, or iron. No timber is used in the main 
floor, which is formed by brick vaults, filled to a level upon the spandrels, 
and covered by boards. This covering being thought necessary to guard 
against the cold and dampness of the great mass of masonry which consti- 
tutes the supporting vaults. The roof contains no wood whatever, except 
the boards or laths to which the slate are fastened. The place of rafters is 
supplied, throughout, by trusses made of light bars of wrought iron, which 
are supported by the walls ai-vd by iron purlins ranged through the building 
upon the tops of the Gothic columns which rise through the ceiling for 
this purpose. The thrust of these trusses is prevented by iron rods, which 



LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY. 77 

take the place of the lie-beams of wooden roofs. The weight of the iron 
of this roof is not more than half aa great as would be rc<iuired if it were 
formed of timber ; while, from calculation and experiments made with 
some of the trusses, it is believed that it would sustain a load, uniformly 
distributed over it, equal to that of a body of men standing close to each 
other and covering a space as great as thai inclosed by the building. 

As none of the other halls of the University present any claims to excel- 
lence in architecture, the attention of strangers is naturally directed to 
Gore Hall, as the principal ornament of the College Square. 

The University Library is at present divided into four branches, viz. 
Theological, Medical, Law, and Public; which last, beside hooks in all 
other departments of learning, embraces also an extensive collection of 
works on Theology, Medicine, and Law. 

The Theological Library is in Divinity Hall ; and persons entitled to its 
privileges must be connected with the Theological School. The Medical 
Library is in the Medical College, in Bo.slon, being placed there for the 
convenience of students attending the Medictil Lectures. The Law Libra- 
ry is in Dane Hall. It is designed for the use of the olficers and students 
of the Law Department. The Public, or College Library, as it is familiarly 
called, is kept in Grore Hall. This is very much larger than the others, 
and is'rapidly increasing. It is for the common use of the whole Univer- 
sity, in this respect differing from the other branches of the University 
Library. The whole niunber of books is about r)9.000. Of these, alx)ut 
2.5(K) are duplicates, and 1.000 belong to the " Boylston Medical Library," 
which is immediately connected with it, and is designed for the special use 
of the Professors and students in the Medical School, and also for those 
members of the Massachusetts Medical Society resident within ten miles 
of the University. 

The whole number of books in the Libraries of the University is esti- 
mated as follows : — 

Public Library about 59,000 

Medical " " L200 

Law " " 11.000 

Theological Library " 3,000 

Society Libraries of the Students .... " 12,000 

Total . . about 89,200 

The Public Library of the University is open to the public, under 
certain regulations and restrictions ; and its privileges are also granted to 
persons, hereafter specified, who are not connected with the University. 
Beside many of the most rare and costly printed books, it contains a num- 
ber of valuable ancient manuscripts ; with a few Oriental specimens, of 
great beauty. Here are also manuscript works of diflferent learned men of 



7a CAMBRIDGE. 



l£S 



modern times; a great part of which, however, have been printed. It I 
hoped that it will hereafter be an object with the friend.<3 of learning and of 
the University, to collect and deposit in the library, not only ancient man- 
uscripts, but the papers of modern scholars, and especially of dislinguislied 
sons of the University. 

All donations of books, on the eame subject, to the amount of $ 1,0()0, 
or upwards, are kept together in one place in the Library. In all cases 
when books are given, or money for the purchase of books, the names of 
the donors are written in the volumes thus given or purchased, and are 
also recorded in a book kept for that purpose ; and the names of the donors 
of books to the amount of $ 1,000, or upwards, (as also the names of do- 
nors which were displayed in the old Library, before the removal to Gore 
Hall,) are placed over or in thcAlcoves containing such books, or in some 
other conspicuous place in the Library, — generally on the face of the gal- 
lery, below the balustrade. 

No person, except the Librarian and Assistants, is allowed to go into any 
of the Alcoves of the General Library, or take any book from the shelves 
therein, without special permission ; the books most suitable for the use 
of the Undergraduates being separated from the rest, and kept in the Li- 
brarian's room, where they are accessible to the students, at all times, 
(during Library hours,) and without restriction. All persons, while in the 
Library, are expected to remain uncovered, and to refrain from loud con- 
versation, or other improprieties of speech and deportment. 

The following persons, only, have a right to borrow books from the Li- 
brary : — The members of the Corporation and of the permanent Board of 
Overseers ; the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, President of the Senate, 
Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Secretary of the Com- 
monwealth ; the Officers of Instruction and Government in the University, 
and the Steward ; Resident Graduates, and Resident Professional Students, 
giving bonds, with the consent of the Faculty ; Undergraduates of the 
College; the members of the Council, Senate, and House of Representa- 
tives, during the session of the General Court, on application made by a 
written order of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the President of 
the Senate, or the Speaker of the House ; the members of the Examining 
Committees of the University, during the year for which they hold their 
appointment; former Officers of Instruction and Government, residing in 
Cambridge ; benefactors to the Library to the amount of $40, while resi- 
dent in Cambridge, and benefactors to the Library, residing in any other 
town of this Commonwealth, who have made a donation to the amount of 
$200, on application to the Corporation, and on such conditions as may by 
them be required; regularly ordained Clergymen, of all denominations, 
who have been educated at any public College or University, or who have 
received a degree at this University, living within ten miles of the Libra- 
ry, upon the same terms as the Overseers; and other Clergymen, within 



CAMBRIDGE. T'J 



the same distance, not coming under the foregoing description, upon appli- 
cation to the President, and at the iliscrelion of the President or Corpora- 
lion. Persons not inhabitants of Cambridge, but having a temporary 
residence therein, for the purpose of study, may Ixirrow books from the 
Library with permission of the President, according to the prescribed con- 
ditions and regulations, application being made in writing to the Libra- 
rian ; and the Corporation may, for special reasons, grant the privilege of 
the Library to other persons than the foregoing. 

In Term-lime the Library is open on the first four secular days of the 
week, from 9 A. M. till 1 P. M., and from 2 till 4 P. M. ; and on Fridays, 
from 9 A. M. till 1 P. M. ; excepting the first Friday of each Term, Christ- 
mas-day, the days of Public Fast and Thanksgiving, and the Fridays follow- 
ing them, the Fourth of July, and the days of public Exhibitions and the 
Dudleian Lecture, during the exercises. In the Vacations the Library is 
open every Monday, from 9 A. M. till I P. M. All persons who wish to 
have access to the Library, or to bring their friends to see it, are expected 
to make their visits on the days and within the hours above nsuxied. 



Cambridge is pleasantly situated, in a plain, about three miles west 
from Boston. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and west by Somer- 
ville. West Cambridge, and Watertown, and on the south and east by 
Charles River, which separates it from Brighton and Boston. From the first 
settlement of the country, it has ever been a place of importance, and so 
intimately connected with Boston in all the social, political, and intellec- 
tual relations, that, but for municipal distinctions, it might almost be con- 
sidered an integral pari of the metropolis. Within its ancient limits,— ] 
probably never very exactly defined, — was embraced a large extent of 
territory, comprehending the present towns of Lexington, West Cam- 
bridge, Newton, and Brighton, together with the greater part of Billerica, 
and watered by the Concord, Shawshin, and Charles Rivers. Long siiice 
sliorn of these fair proportions, nature and accident divided what remained 
of her original domain into three sections, still familiarly known as Old 
Cambridge, Cambridgeport, and East Cambridge. Of late years a dis|x>- 
sition to sunder even this small remnant, and to erect therefrom two dis- 
tinct corporations, was frequently manifested in at le.ist one of the sec- 
lions. To prevent all further agitation of this subject, (which was a 
constant source of uneasiness in many quarters, and which had. at length, 
in 1S44 -45, assumed an active form.) and eflfeclually to preclude all possi- 
bility of such a separation, an Act of the Legislature was obuiined, March 
17, 1846, permanently uniting the three sections under one charter, with 
the corporate privileges of a city. The charter was accepted by the in- 
habitants, m town-meeting assembled, by a vote of 64i5 yeas to 224 nays ; 
the first election of city officers took place in April : and the city govern- 
ment was duly organized upon the 4th of May following. 



so CAMBRIDGE. 



The CiTV is divided into threi wards, so bounded as to conform lo the 
usual and long familiar designations of the three principal villages. Ward 
One, or Old Cambridge, embraces the original settlement, and extends 
westerly and northerly to the towns of Watertown, West Cambridge, and 
SomerviUe. A ridge of higher land separates it from Ward Two, on the 
east ; while Charles River forms a natural boundary on the south. The 
Fitchburg Railway crosses its northerly section, the Watertown and Lex- 
ington Branches traverse its western frontier, and the Harvard Branch 
sweeps boldly in to its very centre. Near the Fitchburg station is the suf- 
ficiently notorious " Market Hotel." better known as " Porlir's." (where 
a Cattle Market is held every Wednesday,) not very far removed from 
which is that disgrace to the city, not to say humanity, the Race-ci urse. 
In this ward are five Meeting-houses and Churches, and three school- 
houses ; also the new and elegant Alms-house : together with most of the 
objects of interest for a stranger, — the Washington Elm, and the elegant 
residence of Professor Longfellow, formerly Washington's Head quarters, 
the various buildings and grounds of the University, the State Arsenal, 
Fresh Pond, the entrance to Mount Auburn Cemetery, &c., &c. 

Ward Two occupies an extensive plain, bounded on the south and east 
by Charles River, on the north by SomerviUe and the marshes which sep- 
ai-ate it from Ward Three, and on the west by the ridge of higher land be- 
fore mentioned, a portion of which is known by the name of Dana Hill. 
Here are the City Hall and the several public offices for the transaction of 
municipal affairs, eight places of public worship, seven school-houses, to- 
gether with the City High School, the new Athenaeum, (that is to be,) ex- 
tensive manufactories of various kinds, and several elegant private resi- 
dences. 

Ward Three, known as Lechmere Point and East Cambridge, is a 
bluff, separated from Boston and Charlestown by the waters of Charles 
River, and from Ward Two by extensive marshes and narrow creeks, the 
line of demarkation being the North and Broad Canals. Although of re- 
cent growth, East Cambridge is a very busy and flourishing place, and its 
progress within the last few years has been extremely rapid. It is the seat 
of the County Courts, (Cambridge being one of the shire-iowns of Middle- 
sex County,) and is connected with Boston by Craigie's Bridge and by the 
viaduct of the Boston and Lowell Railway. The chief manufactories of 
the city are located in this section, and are very numerous, extensive, and 
prosperous. Among the principal establishments may be mentioned the 
Glass-works, so deservedly celebrated, the Soap and Candle, and Brush fac- 
tories, and the Granite works. The soil in this part of the city beincr 
clayey, and peculiarly adapted to the purpose, large quantities of brick 
are annually made. In this ward are six places of worship, and five 
school-houses; also one of the Court-houses and Jails of B'[iddle>"ex 
Conntv. a House of Correction, and various Coimtv Offices. The Cou-t 



TAMBRIDGE. 81 



house ha^ of late been entirely remodelled al an expense of over $"^'.000. 
Two spacious wings have been erected, coniaining iwo of the best Court- 
rooms in the Slate, and the apartments occupied by the Registers of Deeds 
and Probate have been much enlarged and improved, and rendered fire- 
proof 

Notwithstanding its uniformly level surface, Cambridge is by no means 
deficient in pleasant scenery. It can boast, also, many elegant private res- 
idences, some handsome public buildings, good schools, flourishing church- 
es, and — a commodious Alms-house. These advantages, with its proxim- 
ity to Boston, and the readiness and ease of communication therewith, 
contribute much to the increase of its population, great numbers of mer- 
chants, professional men, and mechanics being induced to reside in Cam- 
bridge, while Boston is the sphere of their business operations. 

The Cambridge and Boston Omnibuses, (Main Street Line.) leave 
Braille Street, Boston, for Harvard Square, (the Colleges,) Cambridge, ev- 
ery fifteen minutes, from one quarter before 8 o'clock, A. M. to S o'clock, 
P. M., and at 8J, 9, and 10 o'clock, evening. Leave Harvard Scjuare, 
Cambridge, for Brattle Street, every fifteen minutes, from one quarter be- 
fore 7 o'clock, A. M., to 7 o'clock, P. M., and at 7^, 8, and 9 o'clock, eve- 
ning. 

The Harvard Street Line leaves Brattle Street, Boston, at 20 minutes 
past every hour, from 20 minutes past 8 o'clock, A. M., to 20 minutes past 

7 o'clock, P. M. Leaves Harvard Scjuare, Cambridge, at 20 minutes past 
every hour, from 20 minutes past 7 o'clock, A. M., to 20 minutes past 6 
o'clock, P. M. 

Fares. — From Boston to Old Cambridge, 8 tickets for $ 1 ; 44 for $ 5 ; 
Single fare 15 cents. From Boston to Mount Auburn gate, 6 tickets for 
S 1 ; single fare 20 cents. Per quarter, in and out, once a day, 3 10. 

Sunday Omnibus, Main Street Line, leaves Brattle Street, Boston, for 
Harvard Sipiare, Cambridge, at 12J, 5, 8, and 9 o'clock, P. M. Leaves 
Harvard S}uare for Brattle street, at 9i o'clock, A. M., and at 2^, GJ, and 

8 o'clock, P. M. 

The Harvard Street Line leaves Brattle Street for Harvard Square, al 
12i, 5, and 8 o'clock, P. M. Leaves Harvard Square for Brattle Street, at 
^ o'clock, A. M., and at 2i and 7 o'clock, P. M. 

Fares. — From Boston to Old Cambridge, (Colleges.) 20 cents, or a 
ticket and 8 cents. From Boston to Cambridgeport, 15 cents, or a ticket 
and 7 cents. 

FiTCHBURG Railway. — Trains leave Boston, for Cambridge (Colleges) 
at 7.40, 9.45, A. M. ; 12}, 2.10, 5J, 7{. 10}, P. M. Leave Cambridge for 
Boston, at 7, 8i, lOi, A. M. ; 1.40, 3i, 6.40, 7.40. P. M. 

Fare, 15 cents, on which a discount is made to those purchasing 

tickets. 



82 



CAMBRIDGE. 



The following table will show the increase in the population of Cam- 
bridge, from the year 1790 to the present time : — 



1790. 



1800. 



1810. 



1820. 



1830. 



2,115 2,453 2,323 3,295 
Valuation of Estates and the 
Cambridge, since 1840. 



1840. 



1845. 



6,072 8,409 12,490 
number of Polls, with 



1850. 

U. S. I State 

Census. Census. 

15,215 1 14,852 

the Votes polled, in 



Year. 

1840 
1841 
1842 
1843 
1844 
1845 
1846 
1847 
1848 
1&49 
1850 



Polls. 
2,262 
2,377 
2,619 
2,496 
3,060 
3,151 
3,224 
3,387 
3,639 
3,720 
3,436 



Value of Real and Personal 
Assessors, for the year 1850 : - 
Real Estate in Ward I., 
" " Ward II., 
u .c u ^vard III., 



Valuation. Votes 

7,.585,950 1,398 

7,310,076 1,247 

7,018,716 1,372 

7,137,441 1,467 

7,852,149 1,767 
8,600,366 •< 1,266 

9,312,481 1,311 
9,806,529 

12,575,015 

10,667,272 

11,469,618 
Estate in Cambridge, as estimated by the 

$2,645,426 

3,379,480 

1,765,642 



Total assessed value of Real Estate, 
Personal Estate in Ward I., 
u << Ward II., 
" " " Ward III., . 



$ 7,790,548 

$1,739,986 

1,389,478 

549,606 



Total assessed value of Personal Estate, .... $ 3,679,070 

Tax assessed in Ward I., $ 29,001.26 ; in Ward II., $ 34,658.42 ; in Ward 
III., $17,534.05. Total amount, $81,193.73. Rate of taxation for 1850, 
$6.30 on $1,000. 

Number of Polls in Ward I,, 915 ; in Ward II., 1,538 ; in Ward III., 983. 
Total number of Polls, 3,436. Poll Tax, $1.50. Number of dwelling- 
houses in Cambridge, 2,372. Number of families, 2,859. 

Two bridges connect Boston and Cambridge : — one from the foot of Lev- 
erett street, called Craigie's Bridge; the other, which is nearly seven 
eighths of a mile long, from the foot of Cambridge street, called West Bos- 
ton Bridge. The construction of these two bridges is similar; and both 
are furnished with lamps placed at regular intervals, which have a singu- 
larly pleasing eifect on a dark evening. The rates of loll are the same on 



CAHBRID6B. 83 



both ; but passengers lo and from Cambridge over Prisoiipoinl Bridge are 
not, subject to toll. 

West Boston Bridge was opened Novemter 23, 1793. It stands on 180 
piers, and is 2,758 feet in length, and 40 feet in width; abutment and 
causeway, 3,432 feet; total length, 6,190 feet. The bridge i^^ railed on each 
side, for fool passengers; the aides of the causeway are stoned, capstaned. 
and railed ; and on each side there is a canal about 30 feet wide. Revenue 
in 1834, $ 12,928. 

Canal or Craigie's Bridge was incorporated Fehniary 27, 1607, and 
opened on Ctimmencenient-day. Ausust ',il\ 1809. It extends from Rir- 
ton's Point, in Boston, to Lechmere Point, in Cambridge; and is 2,79G 
feet in length, and 40 feet in width. On the Cambridge side it is united to 
Charlestown by Prison-point Bridge, which is 1821 feet long and 35 feet 
broad. Net receipts in 18^34, $ 3,173. 

To the proprietors of West Boston Bridge, a toll was granted for seventy 
years from the opening of the bridge, which, with the Causeway, was ea- 
tii7iated to have cost $ 76,700. This term was subse([uently extetided to 
seventy years from the opening of Craigie's Bridge ; West Boston Bridge 
being charged with an annuity of £200, payable to Harvard College, and 
Craigie's being required to pay £ 100 per annum to West Boston during 
their joint existence. The comnnmity becoming impatient of the length 
of time which must elapse before these bridges would be free, a company 
was organized, in 1846, for the purpose of hastening that event ; and hav- 
ing been incorporated by the Legislature, under the name of the Hancwk 
Free Bridge Company, with power to negotiate for the purchase of the 
two bridges, and to adopt such measures a.s would conduce to the desired 
object, they succeeded in effecting a purchase, and on the 1st of July, 1^16, 
obtained from the West Boston Bridge Corporation a transfer of all their 
rishts and privileges. At present, tolls continue to l)e collected on both the 
bridges; but it is expected that in a few years, a sufficient sum will have 
been collected to defray the original cost, with interest, and to constitute 
a fund, the interest of which will keep them in repair for ever. They will 
then be opened to the public free of charge. 



One of the first suhjects which engaged the attention of the Ma.'j.sarhu 
setts Colonists was the selection of a suitable location for a fortified town, 
— one which would at once serve them as a place of refuge, in case of in 
vasion, and also as the inetropolis of their new republic. At lenirth. on the 
2=!lhof December, 16.30, "after many consultations, they this day agree 
on a place on the northwest side of Charles River, about three miles west 
from Charlestown : and all except Mr. Endirolt and T. Sharp (the former 
living at Salem and the latter purixisin;: to return to Endand) oblige them- 
selves to build hou-ses there the following spring, and remove their onl- 
nance and munition thither; and first call the place Nbwtown." Ac- 



CAMBRIDGE. 



cording to agreement, the Deputy-Governor, (Dudley,) Secretary Brad- 
street, and other principal men of the Colony, in the spring of 1631, 
entered upon the execution of their plan, with a view to its speedy com- 
pletion. The Governor set up the frame of a house where he first pitched 
his tent; and the Deputy-Governor finished his house and removed his 
family. On some considerations, however, " which at first came not into 
their minds," the Governor, in the ensuing autumn, look down his frame, 
and removed it to Boston, with the intention of making that the place of 
his future abode ; greatly to the disappointment of the rest of the compa- 
ny, who were still desirous of building at " the New Town," and much to 
the displeasure of the worthy Deputy, who was " a principal founder of 
the town, being zealous to have it made the metropolis," and who could 
not readily forgive the Governor for what he considered a breach of faith. 

Notwithstanding the partial failure of the original plan, various orders 
of the Court of Assistants show that " the New Town," still designed 
for the seat of government, was taken under legislative patronage. On 
the 14th of June. 1631, " Mr. John Masters having undertaken to make 
a passage from Charles River to the new town, twelve feet broad and 
seven deep, the Court promises him satisfaction " therefor ; and a tax was 
soon after levied on the several plantations to defray the expense. Two 
houses having been burnt down, in Boston, in the spring of this year, in 
consequence of the chimney of one of them taking fire, and communi- 
cating to the thatched roof ; "for prevention thereof in our new town," 
observes the Deputy-Governor, " intended to be built this summer, we 
have ordered that no man there shall build his chimney with wood, nor 
cover his house with thatch.". Neither was the design of a fortified town 
yet abandoned ; as is evident from an order of the Court, February 3, 1632, 
"that ^60 be levied out of the several plantations towards making a 
palisado about the New Town " ; which resulted in the enclosure of about 
a thousand acres with a fosse and palisade, — doubtless at the suggestion 
of Dudley, who still continued to reside here. The place must have grown 
very rapidly during the first two years of its settlement ; for we find it de- 
scribed by a writer who returned from this country to England in 1633, as 
" one of the neatest and best compacted towns in New England, having 
many fair structures, with many handsome contrived streets." The town 
was laid out in squares, the streets intersecting each other at right angles. 
One square was reserved for the purpose of a market, and remains open to 
this day. It long retained the name of "Market Place," but it is now 
called Winthrop Square. 

The first considerable accession of inhabitants appears to have been in 
the summer of 1632, when " the Braintree Company, which had begun to 
set down at Mount Wollaston, by order of Court removes to Newtown." 
This was " Mr. Hooker's company." Mr. Hooker not having yet arrived, 
they were still without a settled minister ; but in anticipation of his com- 



CAMBRIDGE. 85 



ing, the inhabitants began to make preparations for llie regular observance 
of religious ordinances, and accordingly, in the course of the year, they 
" built the first house of public worship, with a bell upon it." Their 
hopes were at length realized, in the autumn of 1633. by the arrival of the 
Rev. Messrs. Hooker and Stone, who reached Boston, in company with 
the famous John Cotton, John Haynes, afterwards Governor of Connecti- 
cut, and many other passengers of distinction, on the 4th of September. A 
Church was immediately gathered in this place, of which Thomas Hooker 
was chosen Pastor, and Samuel Stone, Teacher; and on Friday, the 11th 
of October, ihey were ordained to their respective offices. 

As originally laid out, lietween Charlestown and Watertown, "the New 
Town," we are told, was " in forme like a list cut off from the broadcloath 
of the two fore-named towns," and appears to have contained merely a 
tract of sufficient extent for a fortified town. Hence, it is not long before 
we find the inhabitants complaining of " slraitness for want of land," and 
desiring "leave to look out either for enlargement or removal." Tlieir 
request was granted by the Court, and temporary relief was obtained by 
accepting " such enlargement as had formerly been offered them by Boston 
and Watertown." But Mr. Hooker and his people had become dissatisfied 
with their situation, and were bent upon removal to Connecticut ; and not- 
withstanding the great reluctance of the General Court to accede to their 
wishes, they finally obtained permission to go where they pleased, jiro- 
vided they remained under the jurLsdiciion of Massachusetts. They ac- 
cordingly left this spot in a body, for Connecticut, in June, 1636; having 
previously disposed of their houses and lands to another company, which 
had arrived from England in the autumn of 1630, with the " faithful and 
famous" Thomas Shepard, their future Pastor. On the 1st of February. 
1636, a new Church was organized here, with much form and solemnity, 
in the room of that which was about to remove ; and Mr. Shepard was 
soon after ordained as its Pastor. The following have been his successors 
in the Ministry : — 

Thomas Shepard, ordained . 1636. died Aug. 2'), 1649. aged 44. 

Jonathan Mitchel, ordained Aug. 21, IfirrfJ. died July 9, 166.S, aged 43. 
Urian Oakes, ordained Nov. S, 1671, died July 25, 16SI, aged 50. 
Nathaniel Gbokin, ordained Nov. 15, 1682. died Aug. 7. 1692, aged 3-1. 
William Brattle, ordained Nov. 25, 1696. died Feb. 15, 1717, aged 55. 
Nathaniel Appleton, ordained Oct. 9, 1717, died Feb. 9, 17S1, aged 91. 
Timothy Hilliard, installed Oct. 27. 17S3, died May 9, 1790, aged 44. 
Abiel Holmes, installed Jan. 25, 1792. dismissed Sept. 26, 1831. 
Neheiniah Adams, ordained Dec. 17, 1829, (Shepard Society,) dismissed 

March 14, 18:34. 
William Nfiwell. ordained May 19. 1S.30. (First Parish.) 
John A. Albro, installed April 15, 1^35, (Shepard Society.) 



86 CAMBRIDGE. 



The descriptive, and somewhat indefinite, appellation of "the New 
Town," had become recognized and adopted, under the form of New- 
town ; which name was retained until May, 1638, when it was exchanged 
for that of Cambridge, in grateful remembrance of the place in England 
where so many of the principal men of the Colony had received their edu- 
cation. 

la 1639, the first Printing-press in British America was set up here, un- 
der the management of Stephen Day. The first article printed was the 
Freeman's Oath, the next an Almanac, and the next a metrical version of 
the Psalms ; the latter being the first production of the Anglo-American 
press which attains the dignity of a book. 

The cause of education ever received from our Fathers that attention 
which it deserves, and we therefore find them at an early period making 
provision for the instruction of their children. Speaking of the College at 
Cambridge, in 1643, a writer of that day observes : — "By the side of the 
CoUedge [is] a faire Grammar Schoole, for the training up of young schol- 
lars. and fitting of them for Academical learning : Master Corlet is the 
Mr., who hath very well approved himself for his abilities, dexterity, and 
painfulnesse in teaching and education of the youths under him." 

In 1647, the town " bargained with Waban, the Indian, for to keepe 
about six score heade of dry cattle on the south side of Charles River." 
The lands in that part of Cambridge, as well as those at Shawshin, Menot- 
omy, and "the Farms," were chiefly used for pasturage; which, as it 
could not be found in the settled portion of the town, the inhabitants,— 
" most of them very rich, and well stored with Cattle of all sorts," — were 
obliged to seek on the outskirts of the settlement, where extensive tracts 
were granted them, at different times, until their territory included the 
whole of the present township of Lexington, and the principal part of Bil- 
lerica. Here, we are told, they had " many hundred Acres of ground 
paled in with one general fence, about a mile and half long, which secures 
all their weaker Cattle from the wilde beasts." 

In 1648, it was ordered " that there shall be an eight penny ordinary 
provided for the Townsmen [i. e. Selectmen] every second Munday of the 
month upon there meeteing day ; and that whosoever of the Townsmen 
faile to be present within half an houre of the ringing of the bell (which 
shall be half an houre after eleven of the clocke) he shall both lose his din- 
ner, and pay a pint of sacke, or the value, to the present Townsmen." 
The first license for an inn appears to have been given in 1652, when " the 
Townsmen granted liberty to Andrew Belcher to sell beare and bread, for 
entertainjjnenl of strangers, and the good of the towne." 

The people of Cambridge had hitherto confined themselves to the origi- 
nal selllemenl, which was of small extent, and "compact closely within 
itselfe " ; but they now began to venture off to a greater distance, and " of 
late yeares some few straggling houses " were built on the outskirts of the 



CAMBKIDOE. 



^/ 



town. On the 29ih of May, 1655, those who lived at Shawshin, or Shaw- 
shinock, (which had been granted to Cambridge, on certain conditions, in 
June, 1&42, and had begun to be settled about ten years after, by a number 
of respectable families, some from Cambridge, but the greater part origi- 
nally from England.) were incorporated as a distinct plantation ; and in 
May, 1656. the Court " granted tlie name of the place to be called Billeri- 
CA." As early as 165S nineteen of its inhabitants entered into engagements 
with the Rev. Samuel Whiting. Jr., in reference to his settlement in the 
Ministry among them, and a Meeting-house, erected by vote of tlie town, 
was finished in 1660 ; but a Church was not gathered, and a Pastor seilleti. 
until November 11, 1663, on which day Mr. Whiting was duly ordained to 
the Pastoral office. The inhabitants of Cambridge Village, too, as that part 
of tlie town was called which embraced the Nonantum of the Indians, 
had become so numerous, by the year 16.56, 33 to form a distinct congre- 
gation for public worship; and an annual abatement was made of " the 
one halfe of their proportion to the Ministryes allowance, during the time 
they were provided of an able Minister according to law." The first 
Church was gathered there July 20, 1664, and the Kev. John Eliot, Jr., son 
of the Apostle, was ordained Pastor the same day. The settlement was 
subsequently called New Cambridge, but in 1691, (December 8,) was in- 
corporated by the name of Newton. 

In 1656, the inhabitants of Cambridge consented to jwy each his propor- 
tion of a rate to the sum of £,'2J0O, " towards the building a bridge over 
Charles River." The bridge was erected about the year 1660, and for many 
years was called " The Great Bridge." Previous to this time the commu- 
nication with the south side of the river hati been by means of a ferry, 
from the wharf at the foot of Water (now Dun.ster) street, — the principal 
street of the original settlement, — to the opposite shore; from which 
point "a highway" conducted to the road leading to Roxbury. The 
bridge was rebuilt in 1690, at the exjiense of Cambridge and Newton, with 
some aid from the public treasury ; and in 1731 the town received :£300 
from the General Court towards defraying the expense of repairing it, in 
addition to a " very bountiful " contribution from individuals, for the same 
purpose. In 1700, the highway on the south side of the river was given 
'• for the use of the Ministry in this town and place." 

About this time a House of Correction was built; and in 1675, certain 
persons were appointed " to have ins{)ection into familyes. that theare be 
noe by-drinking or any misdemenor wheareby sine is committed, and 
persons from theare houses unseasonably." The Jail (an ancient wooden 
building, not much used after the erection of a stone one at Concord, in 
1789.) stood at the southwest corner of Market (now Winthrop) Square, as 
late as the beginning of the present century. The County Court-house, 
which many people will remember as occupying the site of the present 
Lvceum Hall, on Harvard Square, was erected in 1756. In 16.')6. certain 



88 CAMBRIDGE. 



persons were appointed by the Townsmen to execute the order of the Gen- 
eral Court, '■ for the improvement of all the families within the limitts ol 
this towne in spinning and cloathing"; and the year following, James 
Hubbard has " liberty granted him to fell some small timber on the Com- 
mon, for the making him a loome." In 1668, some of the most respecta- 
ble inhabitants were chosen " for katechiseing the youth of this towne." 

Whalley and Goffe, two of the Regicides, on their arrival in New Eng- 
land, in July, 1660, immediately repaired to Cambridge, where they resided 
until February following, experiencing the greatest kindness and hospi- 
tality from the inhabitants, and enjoying the friendship of the Rev. Mr. 
Mitchel, by whom they were permitted to attend upon the religious ordi- 
nances of the Church, and were even allowed to participate in the Sacra- 
ment. 

In September, 1665, the town was thrown into consternation by a visit 
from five Mohawk Indians, "all stout and lusty young men," who sud- 
denly issued from a swamp, one afternoon, and walked into the house of 
Mr. John Taylor. Although well armed, they suffered themselves to be 
arrested by the authorities, without resistance, and committed to prison. 
They were subsequently released, with an injunction not to come armed 
into any of the English settlements again. The English had often heard 
ofthe.se Indians from the Massachusetts tribes, (who lived in constant fear 
of them,) but had never seen any of them before. Hence the great alarm 
which their unexpected visit occasioned. 

At a town-meeting in 1676, called " to consider about forlifieing of the 
towne against the Indians," it was judged necessary " that something 
bee done for the fencing in the towne with a stockade, or sume thing 
equivalent." and the requisite materials were accordingly prepared ; but 
King Philip being killed, the " great Indian War " was soon after termi- 
nated, and the Townsmen were ordered to " improve the limber, that was 
brought for the fortification, for the repairing of the Great Bridge." 

Tlie extent of the town at this period may be inferred from a vote of Jan- 
uary 8, 16S2, " that 500 acres of the remote lands, lying between Woburn, 
Concord, and our head line, shall be laid out for the use and benefit of the 
Ministry of this town and place forever." It is whispered in our ear, that 
of late years the town has not been quite so liberal toward its Ministers. 

On the 15th of December, 1691, "Cambridge North-farms " were incor- 
porated as a Parish, by the name of "North Cambridge." October 21, 
1696, a Church was gathered, composed of " ten brethren dismissed from 
the Churches of Cambridge, Watertown, Woburn, and Concord, for this 
work " ; and Mr. Benjamin Estabrook (who had been employed to preach in 
this Parish since 1692) was chosen and ordained their Pastor. Some six- 
teen years after, on the petition of " the farmers," that they might " be 
dismissed from the town, and be a township by themselves," their request 
was granted, on certain conditions ; and " Cambridge Farms" were incor- 



CAMBRIDGE. 89 



porated, by the name of Lexington, March 20, 1712-13. In 1732, the 
inhabitants of the northwesterly part of Cambridge were, by an Act of the 
Legislature, formed iiUo a separate Precinct. A Churcli was gathered by 
the Rev. John Hancock, of Lexington, on the 9lh of September, 1739, and 
the Rev. Samuel Cooke ordained its Pastor, on the r2ihof the same month. 
On this occasion, the First Church voted that £25 be given out of the 
Church slock to the Second Church in Cambridge, "to furnish their 
Communion Table in a decent manner." The Indian name of this dis- 
trict was Menolomy, wiiich it now exchanged for that of the Northwtst, or 
Second Precinct, or West Parish, of Cambridge ; and it was fmally in- 
corporated, February 27, 1807, as West Cambridge. It does not appear 
how early permanent settlements were made in that part of Cambridge on 
the .south side of the river; but a house of worship was built there in 
1774. and a Parish incorporated May 11, 1779. In 17c^, the Church-mem- 
bers on that side presented a {)elition, " signifying their desire to be dis- 
missed, and incorporated into a distinct Church, for enjoying the special 
ordinances of the Gospel more conveniently by themselves." The First 
Church voted a compliance with their request, and a Church was accord- 
ingly gathered, February 26, 17s3; the Records of which are entitled. 

The Records of the Third Church of Christ in Cambridge." The Rev. 
John Foster was ordained its first Pastor, November 1, 1784. This village 
bore the name of '' Little Cambridge," or the South, or Second Parish, of 
Cambridge, until its incorporation as a town, February 21, 1307, by the 
name of Brighton. 

About the year 17.59, several gentlemen, each of whose income was 
deemed adequate to the support of a domestic Chaplain, manifested a de- 
sire for the eslablishmenl of an Episcopal Mission at Cambridge. Their 
wishes meeting with a ready response, those adherents of the Church of 
England residing in Cambridge and its vicinity united, in the year 1700. in 
the foundation of a Church, under the patronage of the English "Society 
for the Propagation of the GospeUu Foreign Parts," and laid the corner- 
stone of the beautiful structure here represented. 

The edifice was first opened for Divine Service, on Thursday, October 
15, 1761, by the Rev. East Apthnrp, D. D. , who had been de{)uled as the 
Society's first Missionary to this place. It is considered, by connoi.sseurs 
in architecture, as one of the best constructed Churches in New England. 
The model is said to have been brought from Italy ; and the plan was fur 
nished by Mr. Harrison, of Newport, R. I., the architect of King's Chapel. 
Boston, and of" the Redwood Library. 

Mr. Apthorp was a native of Boston, but received his education at the 
University of Cambridge, in England ; where he took orders, and received 
the appointment of Missionary to the newly established Church in this 
place. He is said to have been a very ambitious man, and to have had his , 
eye upon a Bishoprick, which he fondly hoped would be established in 



90 



CAMBRIDGE. 



New Eagland, having Cambridge for its centre, and himself the Metropo- 
litan. It must be confessed, that the stately mansion which was erected 
for his use, — still jocosely styled " the Bishop's Palace," -;- far surpassing 
in pretensions the generality of houses at thai day, gives some counte- 
nance to the traditionary report of his aristocratic predilections. But 
whatever may have been his expectations, they were doomed to disap- 
pointment. The publication of his sermon at the opening of Christ Church 
inflamed the Episcopal controversy to such a degree, (if it did not give rise 
to it,) and exposed him to such a whirlwind of denunciation from all points 
of the compass, that his situation became far from comfortable, and after 
a few years he relinquished his rectorship, and returned to England, where 
he subsequently obtained valuable preferments in the Church, and died, at 
an advanced age, in 1S16. His house, — the same which, a few years after 
the departure of its original proprietor, received the haughty Burgoyne be- 
neath its roof, not as a master, but as a discomfited prisoner of war, — yet 
retains unmistakeable traces of its former elegance. It is now owned and 
occupied by Dr. Plympton and Mrs. Manning, and is situated in a square 
formed by Main, Linden, Chestnut, and Bow streets. 




CHRIST CHURCH. 

The successor of Mr. Apthorp was the Rev. Winwood Serjeant, who 
continued Rector from 1767 till the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, in 
177.'j, when his Pariah was entirely broken up, his fine Church turned into 



CAMBRIDGE. 91 



barracks, and its beautiful organ demolif>hed, and himself and family 
obliged to fly for safety. The stormy period of the Revolution jKissed. men 
began to take breath, and look about them. Christ Church was repaired, 
and on the 11th of July, 1790, was reo{)ened. witli a sennon by the Rev. 
Dr. Parker, of Trinity Church, Boston; who also accepted the rectorship 
of this Parish, on condition of supplying it by a Curate, and officiating oc- 
ca.sioiially in person. During the tirsl quarter of the present century, the 
Church was served by different clergymen and readers ; among whom may 
be mentioned the late Rl. Rev. Dr. Dehon, Bishop of South Carolina, the 
late Rev. Dr. Harris, of Dorchester, the Rev. Dr. Jenks, of Boston, and the 
Rev. Dr. Wainvvright, of New York. 

In 1826, the building was again repaired, (the Corporation of Harvard 
College contributing $ 300 for the purpo.se,) and the Rev. George Otis, Pro- 
fessor in the University, officiated until his death, in 182S. The succeed- 
ing Rectors have been the Rev. Messrs. Thomas W. Coit, D. D. , from 
1829 to 1835, Mark Anthony De Wolfe Howe, D. D., 1*35 -:36, and Thomas 
H. Vail, from 1837 to 1SJ9, when the present incumbent, the Rev. Nicholas 
Hoppin, entered upon his duties. 

In 1769, " all the common lands, fronting the College, commonly called 
the Town Commons, not heretofore granted or allotted to any particular 
person, or for any special or particular use," were granted by the proprie- 
tors " to the town of Cambridge, to be used as a Training Field, to lie un- 
divided, and to remain for that use for ever." These " Commons" were in 
after years a fruitful source of controversy ; and it was only after a tedious 
suit at law that their inclosure, — authorized Junfe 5, 1830, — was effected 
and submitted to. The time may yet come when the " Training Field " 
of their fatliers will be regarded by their descendants as one of the choic- 
est ornaments of the " City of the Plain." 

Under express instructions from His Majesty's Secretary of Slate, 
three sessions of the General Court were holden in Cambridge, in 1770, in 
direct violation of the Charter, and the wishes of the people. This meas- 
ure, excused on the plea of the political excitement at this lime rife in Bos- 
ton, was very far from allaying that excitement; and in fact, but added 
new fuel to the flame, — now smouldering in the ashes of discontent, — 
which was soon to burst forth with inextinguishable and overmastering 
fury. 

In the opening scenes of that awful drama which resulted in the inde- 
pendence of thirteen British Colonies, the people of Cambridge exhibite<l 
that spirit which so strongly characterized the period : and when the crisis 
approached, and the great question of Independence was agitated, they sol- 
emnly and with one accord, pledged their lives and fortunes to the cause of 
liberty. From the comnieiicement of hostilities at l/;xington, April 19. 
1775, Cambridge shared llie common fate of the towns in the vicinity of 
Boston, and its usual tranquillity gave place to the din and tumult of war. 



92 CAMBRIDGE. 



It was here that General Washington fixed his first encampment, and as- 
sumed the command of the first American army ; and here were the head- 
■luarters of that army, till the evacuation of Boston by the British troops, 
in 1776. It was here, in the venerable old Meeting-house, (which stood 
between the Presidential mansion and the Law School,) that the Provincial 
Congress assembled, in 1774 and 1775, — two sessions out of four in the 
former year, and one in the latter. Many of the inhabitants left the town, 
and retired into the interior. The College was deserted, and its buildings 
were occupied by troops; the Episcopal Church was dismantled for the 
same purpose, and its organ-pipes (if we may credit tradition) melted into 
bullets ; while the elegant houses of its members were assigned as quarters 
to the American officers. 

Poor Ralph Inman ! How could he expect that his well-stocked farm 
and ample larder would escape notice? It was altogether loo rich a prize 
to be passed by, — so thought "Old Put," — and it would have been the 
height of impropriety not to have made good use of the bounties thus 
placed within his reach. What cared he that the former proprietor 
groaned in spirit, as he saw his fat beeves diminishing, at a fearful rate, 
before the rapacious appetites of the Yankee soldiery ? " The earth is the 
Lord's, and the fulness thereof" ; and they were the Lord's soldiers. Bit- 
terly did the good man complain, that he, " a gentleman of fortune and 
figure," should now be obliged " to purchase things from his own farm " ; 
the sturdy " rebels " having " taken every thing from hira except his wear- 
ing apparel, only because he had been one of the King's Council" ! A 
hard case, this, to be sure ; but no harder than that of the Olivers, the Vas- 
salls, the Ervings, and hundreds of others, who saw themselves suddenly 
stripped of honors, wealth, and estate, and driven from their homes, — to 
expiate, in some measure, by their personal sufferings and mortification, 
the crying sins of the wicked ministry whose servants they were. 

Let the stranger stroll along the old road to Watertown, — the Brattle 
Street of the moderns. Leaving the venerable Brattle mansion on the left, 
— now cast into the shade by the " Brattle House," recently erected on a 
portion of its once elegant domain, — and passing beyond the more thickly 
.settled part of the village, he will find, on each side of the way, spacious 
edifices, belonging to some former day and generation ; extensive gardens, 
farms, and orchards, evidently of no modern date; and trees, whose giant 
forms were the growth of years gone by. Who built these stately man- 
sions, — so unlike the usual New England dwellings of ancient days, — 
with their spacious lawns, shaded by noble elms, and adorned with shrub- 
bery ? Who were the proprietors of these elegant seats, which arrest the 
attention and charm the eye of the passing traveller? Who were the orig- 
inal occupants of these abodes of aristocratic pride and wealth, — for such 
they must have been, — and whose voices waked the echoes in these lofty 
halls ? — A race of men which has passed away for ever ! Men of lofty 



CAMBRIDGE. 



93 



ideas, ample foriunes, large hearts, ai id unbounded hospiialily, — the an- 
I cient nobility of New England's capital, — the grave Magistrates and sage 
Councillors of the Province, — old English country-gentlemen, — proud 
scions of a noble stock, who sought, at this distance from the metropolis, 
a retreat from the cares of state and the pursuits of business, and here 
erected dwellings which should remind them, in some faint degree, of their 
ancestral halls in Old England. Here, upon their extensive estates, in the 
midst of affluence, nay, in the very lap of luxury, rivalling in splendor the 
nobility of other lands, they dwelt in sumptuous e'd^e, each under his own 
vine and fig-tree, with none to make him afraid. To their families, — al- 
lied by blood, or by the lies of friendship, — life was but as a summer holi- 
day. Without care, without anxiety, their days were spent in pleasure, 
and their nights in merriment. Amid the delights of social intercourse, 
the song and the dance, music and feasting, the moments passed uncount- 
ed, and time was but as a flitting shadow, which left no trace behind. 
With no thought but for the present, with no dream of the morrow, they 
heard not the mutterings of the distant thunder, they saw not the black 
cloud on the verge o( the horizon, they heeded not the gathering storm, 
till it burst in awful fury above their heads ; — and lo ! they are scattered as 
dust, their homes are desolate, and the places that knew them now know 
them no more. — Where are they? Ask of the winds which sigh forth 
their requiem through the tops of those venerable trees, whose branches 
were once outstretched to shield them from the blazing glories of a noon- 
day sun. Inquire of the breeze which mournfully whispers the dirge of 
the dead in yonder graveyard, or sweeps by the Church where they wor- 
shipped. They are gone. Their tombs are in a distant land, — even their 
names have passed from remembrance, — and nought remains to tell of 
their sojourn here save these stately piles, whose walls once echoed lo the 
sound of pipe and harp, and whose courts reverberated with the notes of 
their national anthem. 

Prominent among these residences of the Kovalists of olden time, is 
that of Col. John Vassall, which became, in July, 1775, the headt[uarers 
of General Washington ; an edifice even more elegant and spwcious than 
its fellows, standing at a little distance from the street, surroumled with 
shrubbery and stately elms. At this mansion and at Winter Hill, in 8om- 
erville, Washington passed most of his lime, after taking command of the 
Continental army, until the evacuation of Boston, in the following spring. 

"The mansion stands upon the upper of two terraces, which are ascend- 
ed each by five stone steps. At each front corner of the house is a lofty 
elm, — mere saplings when Washington beheld them, but now stately and 
patriarchal in appearance. Other elms, with flowers and shrubbery, beau- 
tify the grounds around it ; while within iconoclastic innovation has not 
been allowed to enter with its mallet and trowel, to mar the work of the 
ancient builder, and to cover with the vulgar stucco of modern art the 



94 



CAMBRIDGE. 



carved cornices and panelled wainscots thai first enriched it. There might 
be given a long list of eminent persons whose former presence in those spa- 
cious rooms adds interest to retrospection, but they are elsewhere identified 
with scenes more personal and important." The present owner is Profes- 
sor Henry W. Longfellow. 




WASHINGTON'S HEADQ,UARTERS. 

In connection with Washington's Headquarters, as an object of interest 
to the stranger, siiould be mentioned the Washington Elm, beneath 
whose broad shadow, says tradition, he first pitched his tent, and drew his 
sword in the cause of freedom, on the 3d of July, 177-5. It stands on 
Garden street, near the westerly corner of the Common ; and may proba- 
bly have belonged to the primeval forest. " Amid the changes which Imve 
taken place in the world, and particularly in America and New England, 
it has stood like a watchman ; and if it could speak, it would be an inter- 
esting chronicler of events. The early settlers of this country had hardly 
finished their rude log houses before they proposed to make the village iu 
which it stands the metropolis of the country ; and but few years elapsed 
before they laid the foundation of Harvard College so near it that it may 
almost be shaded by its branches. Not far from it was the spot where the 
public town-meetings were held ; and also the tree under which the Indian 
council-fires were lighted, more than two hundred years ago. When the 
drum was used in Cambridge, instead of the bell, to summon the congre- 
gation to the place of worship, or to give warning of a savage enemy, the 
sound floated throughout its trailing limbs; and when the officers of the 



CAMBRIOUE. 



'Jo 



College discharged the duty of inflicting corporal punishment on young 
men with their own hands, wlio knows but their lugubrious lamentations 
may have mingled with the breezes that disturbed its foliage? Of how 
many College sports and tricks might it tell; such deeds, loo, as no one 
who had not been educated in the halls of Old Harvard would ever have 
dreamed of? Among the graver subjects of which it might make reix>rt 
are the lessons of truth and piety which fell from the lips of Whitefield, 
wiien he stood in its shade and moved a vast multitude by his eloquence. 
And subsequently, it seems, it has been heralding war and liberty ; for the 
revolutionary soldiers who stood shoulder to shoulder, — blessings be on 
their heads, — tell us that when Washington arrived at Cambridge, he drew 
his sword, as Commander-in-chief of the American army, for the first time 
beneath its boughs, and resolved within himself that it should never be 
sheathed till the liberties of his country were established. Glorious old 
tree, that hast stood in sight of the smoke of Lexington and Bunker's Hill 
battles, and weathered the storms of many generations, — worthy of rev- 
erence. Though in the spirit of modern improvement, guide-boanls may 
be nailed to thy trunk, thou pointest to the past and to the future. All 
around are scattered memorials of what has been. Generations of men 
have died and been buried, and soldiers of the revolution sleep near thee. 
Thou lookest down upon monuments in the churchyard, robbed of their 
leaden armorial bearings that they might be converted into musket-balls in 
the day of our national poverty and struggle ; and the old spikes still fast- 
ened into the beams of Mcissachusetts Hall tell of suspended hammocks 
where the weary soldier took his rest. Across the river, where one Black- 
stone lived, and where Governor Winthrop took up his residence, because 
he found a good spring of water there, the forest has been cut away, the In- 
dian wigwam has disappeared, and a city grown up, containing liiS.OOO in- 
habitants, whose sails whiten every sea, whose merchants are princes, and 
whose traffickers are the honorable of the earth. May no unkind hand 
mar the last tree of the native forest. Though it may have stootl century 
after century, like a sentinel on duty, defying the lightning and the storm, 
still let it stand, an interesting and sacred memorial of the past and the 
present, and continue to be associated, for many years to come, with the 
history of our country. And let the illustrious name which it bears, and 
which it derives from one of the most important events in the life of the 
Father of his country, preserve it to remind the coming generations of his 
invaluable services and labors." 

In 1777, Cambridge became the headquarters of another army ; but how 
different in character and circumstances from that which had been gath- 
ered here some two years previous, railiant with hojie, and impatient for 
an opportunity to close in deadly conflict with the enemies of their coun- 
1 try. Who would have recognized in these dis])irited irixips, — which now 
sousht a temporary resting-place before their tinal dei)arlure from a land 



96 



CAMBRIDGE. 



which they had failed lo conquer, — the once proud army of Burgoyne? 
And yet it was even so. They had experienced the uncertain. fate of war, 
and had been forced to pass beneath the yoke with which they had so con- 
fidently threatened their present victors. The officers and men were, with 
some difficulty, furnished with suitable accommodations, under the super- 
intendence of General Heath, and the sequestrated dwellings of the Roy- 
alists were again appropriated to the u.se of the sons of Mars. A few rods 
above the residence of Professor Longfellow, is the house in which the 
Brunswick General, the Baron Riede.sel, and his family, were quartered, 
during the stay of the captive army in this vicinity, — " one of the best 
houses in the place." writes the Baroness, " which belonged to Royalists." 
The subjoined view of its southern front is from a pencil sketch by Mr. 
Longfellow. 




RIEDESE^L. HOUSE. 

" In style it is very much like that of Washington's headquarters, and 
the general appearance of the grounds around is similar. It is shaded by 
noble linden-trees, and adorned with shrubbery, presenting lo the eye all 
the attractions noticed by the Baroness of Riedesel in her charmnig let- 
ters. Upon a window-pane, on the north side of the house, may be seen 
the undoubted autograph of that accomplished woman, inscribed with a 
diamond point. It is an interesting memento, and is preserved with great 
care" by the present occupant, Francis Bowen, Esq., the awe-inspiring 
Editor of the North American Review. 

The present Constitution of Massachusetts was framed by a Convention, 
which assembled at Cambridge, on the 1st of September, 1779. The in- 
habitants of this town, "willing lo give up their own opinion in lesser 
matters, in order to obtain a government whose authority might not be dis- 



CAMBKIDGE. 'J/ 



puteil, and which they wished mi;,'ht soon be established," while they 
offered several ameiidmeiils for the consiileralion of a future Conveiilioii. 
instructed their representative, 'in their name and behalf, to ratify and 
confirm the proposed form, whether the amendments be made, or not": 
and in the memorable Insurrection of 1786. the same patriotic sentiments 
which had actuated them on former occasions were exhibited in a vote of 
the town, expressing "their attachment to the present constitution and 
administration of government," and declaring their aversion to the use ol 
any irregular means for compassing an end already provided for by the 
Constitution; "as we know," say they, " of no grievances the present 
system of government is inadequate to redress." 

This town has ever been remarked for its exemplary observance of the 
laws for the maintenance of tlie poor ; of which the proportion, from va- 
rious causes, haii generally been large, while the provision for tlieir subsis- 
tence and comfort has always been comi)etent. Tiie earliest Alms-house 
in Cambridge, of which there is any record, was purchased of Deacon 
Samuel Whittemore, in 1779, at an expen.se of £, 37 10s., and stood at the 
corner of Brighton and South streets, in Ward One. The second is still 
standing, at the northeasterly corner of the Race-course, and was pur- 
chased, repaired, and devoted to the use of the poor in 17S6; .£60 being 
paid to the former proprietor, Dr. William Gamage, for the estate, .which 
comprised nearly five acres of land. Upon the division of the town in 
1807, and the incorporation of Brighton and West Cambridge, the Alms- 
house was left in a remote part of the present city, and the rapid progress 
of the eastern section (Cambridge Port) rendered its transfer to that quar- 
ter a measure of obvious expediency. The first brick Alms-house wa.s ac- 
cordingly erected in Ward Two, in the year 1SI8, at an expense, for house 
and land, of about $ 6.600. At the opening of this house, (which sto(x) on 
the corner of Norfolk and Harvard streets.) September 17, 1S18, a formal 
address was made to the inmates, by Royal Makepeace, Chairman of the 
Board of Overseers, and a sermon delivered by the Rev. Pr. Holmes, 
which was published. This building having been destroyed by fire, in 
1836, a new one was erected, at an expense of more than $7,000, on the 
bank of the river, between Western Avenue and River Street. 

The New Alms-house, recently erected, is finely siiuatetl, on the road 
leading to West Cambridge, in the extreme northwestern section of the 
city, about two miles from its centre ; and within sight of the s{)ot where 
the second establishment was located, more than sixty years ago. It i.s 
built upon an upland, of moderate elevation, and commands a perfect 
view of the whole farm upon which it stands. It is constructed of stone, 
taken from the quarry on the farm, within twenty rods of the building ; a 
material of greater solidity and endurance than any other which could 
easily have been obtained, and well agreeing with the spirit and design of 
such an institution. The edifice presents, outwardly, that plain, massive. 



98 CAMBRIDGE. 



substantial appearance, so singularly appropriate in structures of this 
character. It consists of a central building, four stories in height, having 
four circular quadrant corners, and measuring 60 feet square outside its 
walls. The first story is 9 feet 6 inches high, the second and third sto- 
ries each 10 feet, and the fourth story 18 feet. The roof is hipped on all 
sides, and rises to meet an octagonal observatory of 16 feet square, which 
is surmounted by an ornamental vane. Three wings radiate from three of 
the sides of the central building, each three stories in height, beside attics. 
Two of the wings measure 40 feet square ; the first story of each is 9 feet 
6 inches high, the second and third stories each 10 feet, and the attic story 
9 feet. The third wing measures 40 by 30 feet square ; the first, second, 
and third stories are of the same height as those in the other wings ; the 
attic story is 8 feet high, only. The roofs of all three wings have pedi- 
ment ends. The east wing is appropriated to males, the west to females, 
and the south exclusively to the accommodation of the keeper's family. 
In the third story of the building are rooms appropriated exclusively to 
the American poor. Here are hospitals, male and female, apartments for 
the sick, &c., &c. The fourth story is occupied by a fine Chapel, which 
extends over the whole octagonal floor of the central building, terminating 
only with the roof. 

The farm on which the present Alms-house stands was purchased in 
1849, for $ 12,000. It contains 33 acres, and is situated partly in Somer- 
ville. Alewive Brook forms part of its western boundary. The soil is of 
a warm and early character, a portion being a sandy loam. There is a 
small quantity of marsh, easily convertible into meadow. On the premi- 
ses is a quarry of Argillaceous Slate, of superior quality, as also beds of 
sand, suited for building purposes. The various advantages of this loca- 
tion, — its pure water, its fishery, its warm, rich soil, and its valuable 
ledge of stone, — with the inadequate accommodations of the building on 
Western Avenue, and other considerations, sufficiently obvious, soon in- 
duced the belief that it would be the part of wisdom, no less than of econ- 
omy, to erect on the City Farm, as soon as practicable, a building of such 
materials, and on such a plan, as should unite permanency of structure 
with the greatest possible convenience of arrangement. The result was 
the present edifice ; which was designed by the Rev. Louis Dwight and J. 
L. F. Bryant, of Boston, and erected at a cost of about $;J0.000. 

The "Indigent Sick," not on the town's list, are, in a considerable 
measure, provided for by voluntary charity. The relief of this class of the 
poor is the special object of " The Cambridge Humane Society," formed in 
the year 1814; as also of '•' The Female Humane Society of Cambridge," 
established soon afterwards. 

Before the erection of a bridge across Charles River to Boston, the lands 
in the eastern part of Cambridge were chiefly valued for the hay and forage 
alTorded by the salt-marshes, which extended to a great distance from the 



CA.MBUII)r,E. yj 



banks of the river, composing, indeed, a principal part of this district. 
The grounds being low, wiihoul roads, and with no means of communica- 
tion with Boston, save by boats, or the circuitous route of Charlestowii or 
Roxbury, the situation was far from inviting, and it remained aimnsi un 
isolated tract, detached from every other. In the course of a year very 
few persons passed down into '• Tlie Necic," as it was called, unlesa ftir 
farming purposes, or for lishin? and fowling. R-low the seat of the late 
Chief Justice Dana, (on Dana Hill,) there wen; but fliur dwelling-hon-ws, — 
one on the Inman place, lately owned and occupied by Samuel P. Allen. 
Esq. ; one nearly opposite, on a farm of Judge Dana, fonnerly the SmI.mj 
farm, south of the main road ; one on the Phips farm, owned by Mr. An- 
drew Boardman ; and one at Lechmere'a Point. 

There had been considerable eflTort to have the first bridge over Charles 
River carried from West Boston to Cambridge ; but the expediency of 
mailing th6 first experiment across the narrower part of the river, to 
Charlestown, was so ai)parent, that the (then) town of Boston expressed 
an opinion almost unanimous (1,2^1^ to 2) in favor of the latter courne, and 
the bridge was accordingly erected " in tlie place where the Ferry between 
Boston and Charlestown was kept." Tliis great undertaking (as it was 
then considered) having been successfully accomplished, a number of 
gentlemen were incorporated, March 9th, 17y2, for the purpose of building 
a bridge from what Wcis called Pest-house Point, at the west end of Cam- 
bridge street, over Charles River, to the opixisile shore in Cambridge. The 
causeway, on the Cambridge side, was begun July 15. 1792, and su.siwtided 
after the 26th of December, till the 2('lh of March, 17'j:}, when the work 
wa^ resumed. The wood-work of the bridge was be?un the Nh of April. 
1793, and the bridge and causeway opened for passengers the '2M of No- 
vember following, being seven months and a half from the time of laying 
the first pier. 

The building of West Boston Bridge, as it was called, had a very 
perceivable influence on the trade of Cambridge, which had previously 
been inconsiderable. By bringing the travel from the northward and wej»l- 
ward through the centre of the town, it lent a fresh impulse to business in 
that quarter, while at the same time it gave ri.se to a thrivinp trade in the 
immediate vicinity of the bridge; where a store was crectetl and o|icne«l. 
by Messrs. Vose and Makepeace, in December, 1793, within a month after 
the 0{}ening of the bridge. This was the first framed buildmR set up he 
tween Old Cambridge and Boston after the opening of the great road. The 
following year a large house, designed for a tavern, was built by I.*<>nanl 
Jarvis* Esq., and soon after were erected six other houses and titorroi. In 
January, 1801, the Inman Farm, so called, was divided into lots, and sold 
to numerous purchasers; and from this time the settlement nipidly m- 
creased. Several large stores were put up the next year, and soon after 
dwelling-hou.ses, principally built and occupied by young men. fnvn van 



100 CAMBRIDGE. 



ous parts of the Commonwealth, who came here to establish themselves in 
business. In 1802, a school-house was built, on a piece of land presented to 
the town for that purpose by Mr. Andrew Boardman. Its cost was about 
$600, of which sum upwards of $300 were paid by the Town of Cam- 
bridge, and the remainder was contributed by the inhabitants. In 1804, a 
large quantity of land was laid out into house-lots, and the settlement, 
hitherto confined to one street, extended rapidly on all sides. Streets were 
now opened in all directions ; ditches were dug, and dikes thrown up, to 
drain off the waters, and to prevent future inundation ; canals were cut, 
communicating with Charles River, of a sufficient depth for coasting- ves- 
sels ; and wharves were built on the margins, for their accommodation. 

In 1805, an Act was passed by the Congress of the United States, making 
Cambridge a Port of Entry ; from which circumstance this section of the 
town thenceforth took the name of Cambridge-Port. In June of the 
same year. Royal Makepeace and others were incorporated by the General 
Court, for the purpose of building a Meeting-house, and supporting public 
worship therein, under the name of " The Cambridge-Port Meeting-house 
Corporation." In 1806, a spacious brick Meeting-house, furnished with an 
organ and a bell, was erected on a square of about two acres, which had 
been laid out for public uses ; and on the first day of January following, it 
was dedicated to the worship of God with appropriate ceremonies. This 
year (1806) and the two preceding, witnessed a great accession to the set- 
tlement, both in population and in buildings. More than one hundred and 
twenty houses and stores, many of them brick, were erected during this 
period. Within the space of about five years previous to January 1, 1807, 
upwards of one hundred families had settled here, and the number of in, 
habitants at this time was estimated at more than one thousand. 

On the 1st of March, 1808, an Act was passed by the General Court, set- 
ting off the easterly part of Cambridge into a Parish, by the name of 
Cambridge-Port Parish; and on the 2d day of February, 1809, the Cam- 
bridge-Port Meeting-house Corporation conveyed the Meeting-house, 
organ, bell, &c., to the new Parish, and itself became extinct. From the 
time of the dedication of the house, in 1807, Divine Service had been con- 
stantly performed therein, at the expense of the Corporation ; but from this 
period it was supported by the Parish. On the 14th of July, 1809, a 
Church, principally composed of members dismissed and recommended 
from other Churches, was gathered and organized ; and on the 19th of Jan- 
uary, 1814, the Rev. Thomas B. Gannett was ordained their first Pastor. 

In 1809, a large school-house was erected on land presented to the town 
by Judge Dana. It cost upwards of $ 800, above $ 300 of which were paid 
by the Town, and the remainder by the District. Cambridge-Port Parish 
was this year divided into two School Districts, and a pemnanent school in 
each ordered to be kept, under the direction of a School Committee annu- 
ally chosen by the Town. In 1810. a bridge was built across Charles River, 



CAMBRIDGE. 



101 



between CambridgePorl and Brighton, and a road made at an expense of 
between nine and ten thousand dollars ; one half of which was defrayed by 
subscription of individuals at Cambridge-Port, and the other part by the 
proprietors of the West Boston Bridge. 

The original projectors of the now flourishing settlement at " the Port," 
were far from realizing the bright anticipations which had lured them 
on, step by step, in the prosecution of their extensive plans. The enter- 
prise, although, for a while, apparently crowned with success, proved to 
have been premature, and resulted in serious embarrassment and loss to 
those concerned ; while, in the fearful reaction which followed, many a 
purse was drained, and many a worthy man plunged in irretrievable ruin. 
But notwithstanding a protracted season of lethargic inactivity, during 
which all life and exertion seemed to have been paralyzed beneath the 
weight of some mysterious incubus ; and although the opening of Quincy 
3Iarket, in Boston, and the construction of the numerous lines of Railway 
which centre in the metropolis, have almost annihilated her once extensive 
trade with the country towns, even as far back as the borders of Vermont 
and New Hampshire ; — " the Port " still continues to be the principal bu- 
siness section of the city, and the last five years have witnessed a great 
change in its appearance and prospects. 

As in the case of Ward Two, the settlement of that part of Cambridge 
which now constitutes the Third Ward was coeval with, and must be at- 
tributed to, the opening of a new avenue of communication with the neigh- 
boring town of Boston; although a Causey to Lechmere Point had been 
built many years previous, and several houses had been erected in this 
otherwise desolate region : — one, the elegant seat of Col. Spencer Phips, 
afterwards Lieutenant-Governor of Massachusetts, which was destroyed by 
fire many years since. In the year 1803, a bridge was built over Charles 
Kiver, from Barton's Point, in Boston, to Lechmere's Point, in Cambridge ; 
and on the 3d of March, ISIO. the •' Lschmere Point Corporation" was 
incorporated. Several dwelling-houses and other buildings were soon 
erected near the bridge, and in 1813, the sum of S 50 was granted by the 
Town "for providing a school at Lechmere Point." The population of 
this section, which did not now exceed twenty families, increased rapidly 
during the next two years; and as the disadvantages of its isolated situa- 
tion became more apparent, the claims of the inhabitants upon the Town 
became more frequent and urgent, until, in May, 1817, a report of the Se- 
lectmen, recommending "the erection of a School District at Lechmere 
Point," was accepted, and $ 100 appropriated '' for the support of a school 
that season." The boundaries of the District, however, were not defined 
until June, 1818, when "all that part of the Town of Cambridge lyins 
north of Broad Canal, and east of Nurth Canal and the creek leading there- 
from to Miller's Kiver," was established as the fifth School District of Cam- 
bridge. The Town also granted $400 towards the erection of a school- 



102 CAMBRIDGE. 



house, and the District having raised an additional sum for tiie same object, 
a one-story building, 42 feet by 22; was erected on a lot of land presented 
by the '"Lechmere Point Corporation." 

The first Grammar School in the District was established in 1819. On 
the 22d of May, 1822, the Lechmere Point Library Association was insti- 
tuted. In 1825, a handsome two-story building, with a cupola, was erected, 
at an expense (including the land) of $1,469, which, for several years, 
was the best school-house within the limits of the town. The highly ben- 
eficial effects of a measure adopted by the Town in 1834, were visible here 
as elsewhere, in promoting the prosperity of the public schools. The 
old-fashioned District system was abolished, and the town was divided into 
three Wards, as at present constituted ; and all prudential duties relating 
to the schools devolved upon the School Committee. 

The first Methodist Episcopal Society in the town was constituted in 
this District, and incorporated June 14th, 1823. The corner-stone of their 
present house of worship was laid by the Rev. Elijah Hedding, now Bishop 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in September of the same year ; and 
the house was dedicated in June following. The first stationed Preacher 
was the Rev. Damon Young. The Third Congregational Society in Cam- 
bridge was formed here June 30, 1827, and their present house of worship 
built the same year. The first Pastor was the Rev. Warren Burton, set- 
tled March 5, 1823. 

As ha.s already been remarked, the principal manufactories of Cambridge 
are located in this section of the city. The New England Glass Company 
was established here in the year 1818, for the manufacture of Flint Glass. 
The works of this Company are very extensive, and produce some of the 
finest specimens of cut-glass ware manufactured in this country. In 18.50. 
a brick chimney was erected, 230 feet in height, or the purpose of receiv- 
ing and carrying off the smoke from the different furnaces, which commu- 
nicate with this common flue by means of horizontal flues beneath the 
surface of the ground. The cost of this gigantic piece of masonry was 
S 14,500. Present capital of the Company, $400,000. Number of per- 
sons employed, 420 ; of whom 406 are males, and 14 females. Annual 
value of manufactures, $ 450,000. 



Postscript. — The writer of the foregoing article wishes it distinctly 
understood, that — being by nature extremely lazy himself, and entirely 
unscrupulous, withal, in the appropriation of the fruits of others' labors, 
when, without too much trouble, they can be turned to his own advantage 
— he has not hesitated to gather his materials wherever he could find them, 
availing him.self, in the freest manner, not only of the researches of his 
predecessors, but even of their very language, whenever it happened to suit 
his purpose ; and he therefore lays claim to no other merit than that of in- 
genuity in making such a tolerable piece of patchwork out of so many 
scraps of divers colors and varying shapes: — in which he is responsible 
for nothing but the stitches. 



MOUNT Al'BriiN CEMETERV. 



lO.J 




MOUXT AUBURX. 

The Cemetery of Mount Auburn, justly celebrated as tVie most interest 
ing object of the kind in our country, is situated in Cambridge and Water 
town, atwul four miles from the city of Boston. It includes upwards of | 
one hundred acres of land, purchased at different times by the Massachu- , 
setts Horticultural Society, extending from tlie main roaii nearly to t he 
trnnks of Charles River. A portion of the land ne.\t to the road, and now 
under cultivalion, onc« constituted the FAperimental Garden of the Socie- 
ty. A long watercourse between this tract and the interior woodland 
formed a natural boundary, separating the two sections. The inner portion, 
which was set apart for the purposes of a Cemetery, iscoverefl, throughout 
most of its extent, with a vigorous growth of forest trees, many of them 
of large size, and comprising an unusual variety of species. This tract is 
beautifully undulating in its surface, containing a number of bold emi- 
nences, steep acclivities, and deep shadowy valleys. A reinarkable natural 
ridge, with a level surface, runs through the ground from southeast to 
northwest, which was for many years a favorite walk with the students ol 
Harvard. The principal eminence, called Mount Auburn, is 12o feel above 
the level of Charles River, and commands from ita summit one of the finest 
prospects which can be obtained in the environs of Boston. On on* side 
is the city in full view, connected at its extremities with Charleslown and 
Roxlwry. The serpentine course of Charles River, with the cultivated 
hills and fields rising beyond it, and the Blue Hills of Milton in the dis- 
tance, occupies another portion of the landscape. The village of Cam- 



104 CAMBRIDGE. 



bridge, with the venerable edifices of the University, are situated about a 
mile to the eastward. On the north, at a very small distance, Fresh Pond 
appears, a handsome sheet of water, finely diversified by its woody and 
irregular shores. Country seats and cottages in various directions, and es- 
pecially those on the elevated land at Watertown, add much to the pictur- 
esque effect of the scene. It is proposed at some future period, to erect on 
the summit of Mount Auburn, a tower, after some classic model, of suffi- 
cient height to rise above the tops of the surrounding trees. This will 
serve the double purpose of a land-mark, to identify the spot from a dis- 
tance, and of an observatory commanding an uninterrupted view of the 
country around it. From the fool of this monument will be seen in detail 
the features of the landscape, as they are successively presented through 
the different vistas which have been opened among the trees; while from 
its summit a magnificent and unbroken panorama, embracing one of the 
most delightful tracts in New England, will be spread out beneath the eye. 
Not only the contiguous country, but the harbor and the bay of Boston, 
with their ships and Islands, and, in a clear atmosphere, the distant moun- 
tains of Wachuset, and, probably, even of Monadnock, will be compre- 
hended within the range of vision. 

The grounds of the Cemetery have been laid out with intersecting ave- 
nues, so as to render every part of the wood accessible. These avenues are 
curved and variously winding in their course, so as to be adapted to the 
natural inequalities of the surface. By this arrangement, the greatest 
economy of the land is produced, combining at the same time the pictur- 
esque effect of landscape gardening. Over the more level portions, the 
avenues are made twenty feet wide, and are suitable for carriage roads. 
The more broken and precipitous parts are approached by foot-paths, six 
feet in width. These passage-ways are smoothly gravelled, and planted on 
both sides with flowers and ornamental shrubs. Lots of ground, contain- 
ing each three hundred square feet, are set off, as family burial-places, at 
suitable distances on the sides of the avenues and paths; the perpetual 
right of inclosing and of using these lots, as places of sepulture, being 
conveyed to the purchasers of them, in the first instance, by the Horticul- 
tural Society, and subsequently by the new proprietors. 

It appears to be generally conceded that Mount Aitburn Ckmetery 
ov/es its origin to Dr. Jacob Bigelow, of Boston, a gentleman who early 
became impressed with the impolicy of burials under churches or in grave- 
yards approximating closely to the abodes of the living. By him the plan 
for the niral cemetery was first conceived, and the first meeting on the sub- 
ject called at his house, in November, 182-5. The project met the favorable 
consideration of his friends, among whom may be mentioned the late Judge 
Story, General Dearborn, John Lowell, George Bond, and William Sturgis, 
Esqrs., the Hon. Edward Everett, Nathan Hale, and others, men whose 
judgment in such matters was known to be correct, and whose influence 



MOUNT AUBUKN CEMETERY. 10') 

proved to be finally effective ; althoush it was not until tlie lapse of nearly 
five years that a suitable place •was fixed upon, when Dr. Bigelovv ob- 
tained from George W. Brinnnier, Esq., the offer of the land then called 
" Sweet Auburn," for the purpose of a cemetery. 

In the year 1829, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society was estab- 
lished; and while in its infancy, and when the project for the Cemetery, 
also, was but in embryo, it was thought by the parties concerned, that by 
an union of the objects of each, the success and prosperity of both would 
be finally insured. The Horticultural Society, therefore, after due consid- 
eration, decided to purchase the land of Mr. Brimmer, (then comprising 
about 72 acres,) for $ 6,000 ; and it was determined to devote it to the pur- 
poses of a rural cemetery and experimental garden. The ground was in- 
closed and consecrated in September, 1831 ; on wliich occasion an eloquent 
address was pronounced by Mr. Justice Story. The Experimental Garden, 
for reasons unnecessary to mention here, was subsequently given up ; 
and, after a certain time, the proprietors of the Cemetery lots resolved 
to purchase the land from the Horticultural Society, and to appropriate its 
whole extent as a place of interment. This arrangement was amicably 
made, and an Act of Incorporation was obtained from tiie Legislature by 
the new proprietors in 1835, by which the Cemetery is exempted from pub- 
lic taxes, and its management vested in a Board of Trustees. 

It is now twenty years since the place was first set apart for the purpose 
of sepulture. The enterprise appears to have been the first of the kind in 
this country ; and it is, perhaps, the first example in modern times of a 
large tract of ground selected for its natural beauties, and submitted to the 
processes of landscape gardening, to prepare it for the reception of the 
dead. The success of the undertaking, and its acceptance with the pub- 
lic, have been sufliciently manifest in the large list of its proprietors, and 
in the numerous imitations which may be found in different pans of the 
United Stales. 

By the Act of Incorporation of the Cemetery of Mount Auburn, it is 
provided that the moneys which shall arise from the sale of lots shall b«> 
for ever devoted to the preservation, improvement, embellishment, and en- 
largement of the said Cemetery, and to the incidental expenses thereof 
In pursuance of these provisions, the Trustees have expended a large por- 
tion of the surplus income derived from sales, in carrying into effect, as 
far as practicable, the original objects which were announced to the pro- 
prietors at the commencement of the undertaking. 

The first inclosure of IMounl Auburn was of pales, with a lofty en- 
trance-gate in the centre, constructed of wood, but rough-cast, in imitation 
of stone. In 1843, the portal was reconstructed of Quincy granite, after 
the same design, and in the same style of architecture, — the Egyptian, — 
as at first; and it pre.sents to the eye of the beholder an imp.wing struc- 
ture, whose very massiveness and complete workmanship insures a dura- 



106 CAMBRIDGE. 



lion to be measured by ages. It is less heavy, however, than the common 
examples of that style, and its piers have not the pyramidal or sloping 
form so common in Egyptian edifices, but are vertically erect, in imita- 
tion, essentially, of some of the gateways of Tiiebes and Denderah. The 
massive cornice by which it is surmounted is of a single stone, measuring 
24 feet in height by 12 in breadth. It is ornamented with the " winged 
globe," and fluted foliage of the Egyptian style, and bears underneath this 
inscription, in raised letters, between its filletted mouldings : — 

" THEN SHALL THE DUST RETURN 
TO THE EARTH AS IT WAS, 
AND THE SPIRIT SHALL RETURN 
' UNTO GOD WHO GAVE IT." 

" MOUNT AUBURN, 
Consecrated September 2A, 1831." 

The two low structures at the sides are rooms occupied an the Porter's 
lodge and the office of the Superintendent. 

The gateway of Mount Auburn opens from what is known as the Old 
Cambridge road, and in front of Central Avenue, on the north boundary 
line of the Cemetery. This avenue forms a wide carriage-road, and is one 
of the most bsautiful openings evt r improved for such a purpose. Witii 
the exception of the necessary grading, levelling, and cutting down of the 
brushwood, and the planting of a few trees, it has been left as nature made 
it. On either side it is overshadowed by the foliage of forest trees, firs, 
pines, and other evergreens ; and here you first begin to see the monu- 
ments, " starting up from the surrounding verdure, like bright remem- 
brances from the heart of earth." 

In 1844, the increasing funds of the Corporation having been found suf 
ficient to justify the expenditure, a massive iron fence, about ten feet in 
height, with pales nearly two inches in diameter, was erected on the 
whole front, measuring about half a mile in length. It is supported on 
granite posts, extending four feet underground, each having a base three 
feet wide in a direction transverse to the fence. Owing to the favorable 
time at which the contracts were made, the whole cost of this fence did 
not exceed $ 15,000; that of the gateway was about $ 10,000. The iron 
fence has since been extended along the eastern side, and a more conven- 
ient entrance for carts, &c., there provided. On the south and west 
boundary a substantial timber fence has been erected, in place of the light 
palisade of former days. 

The first monument which meets the eye after entering the Cemetery is 
that of Spurzheim, situated on the left of the main avenue. It is con- 
structed of polished Italian marble, and is a copy of the tomb of Scipio Af 
ricanus, at Rome. The simple name is the only record which it bears, 



MOUNT AUBURN CEMETERY. 



107 



•' all other inscription or epitaph being left to the hand of fame, or to the 
su;?gestive imaginatioa and peculiar feelincs of such as may visit the 
shades where rest the remains of an en^rsretic and hopoful foreigner." 




TOMB OF SPLRZIIKIM. 

John Gaspar Spurzheim was bom in December, 1776, near Treve.?, in 
Prussia, where he received his education. He afterwards studied IMedicine 
at Vienna, where he became the pupil of the celebrated Dr. Gall, and em- 
braced with zealous enthusiasm the peculiar doctrines of that Professor. 
In 1S05, the master and pupil undertook a course of travels through various 
parts of central Eurojie, for the purpose of disseminating phrenological 
doctrines, and examining the heads of criminals and others in the public 
institutions. In 1S07, Dr. Gall, assisted by Spurzheim, delivered his first 
public lectures on Phrenology, in Paris. Dr. Spurzheim afterwards lec- 
tured in various places in Europe, and received the honors of a number of 
literary institutions ; but determining to try a new field of labor, he em- 
barked at Havre for the United States, and arrived at New York, August 
4th, 1832. "While in Boston he tasked himself severely in public lectures 
before schools and societies ; and his great intellectual etTorts, together 
with the effects of our climate, seriously impaired his health. Being at- 
tacked by fever, medical assistance proved unavailing, and after a short 
illness he breathed his last on the 10th of October, 183*2. His body was 
embalmed, and a cast of his head taken. Appropriate services were per- 
formed at the Old South, in the presence of an immense concourse of spec- 



108 CAMBRIDGE. 



tators ; after which his remains, escorted by the Boston Medical Associa- 
tion, as a body, and by a procession of citizens, were conveyed to the 
cemetery of the Park Street Church, where they were deposited until the 
tomb at Mount Auburn could be prepared for their reception. The monu- 
ment represented in the engraving, was the result of a movement among 
the friends of the deceased, who admired him as a man and a lecturer, irre- 
spectively of his peculiar tenets ; but the expense was eventually defrayed 
by the liberality of the Hon. William Sturgis, of Boston. 

With the double purpose of affording a suitable place for funeral services, 
which are often most conveniently performed within the grounds, and in 
order to provide for the reception of statues, busts, and other delicate 
pieces of sculpture, which are liable to injury from exposure to the weath- 
er, a Chapel has been erected at Mount Auburn. It is situated upon ele- 
vated ground, on the right of Central Avenue, not far from the entrance, 
and with its slender pinnacles, forms a picturesque object, as a view of it is 
caught ever and anon from the various turnings. It is built of granite, 
measuring 66 feet by 40, and about 80 feet in height. The details are mostly 
those of the continental Gothic, taken chiefly from approved examples in 
Germany and France. The exterior is surrounded with a row of octagonal 
buttresses and pinnacles, and the clerestory is supported by Gothic pillars. 
In reference to the proposed appropriation of the interior, the light is ad- 
mitted only from the ends, and the clerestory ; and care has been taken to 
give it that mellow and solemn tint which is most consonant with the es- 
pecial object of the edifice, and, at the same time, is the most favorable for 
statuary and other sculptural decorations. The windows, which are of 
stained glass, with emblematic designs, were made under the direction of 
Mr. Hay, of Edinburgh, and executed by Messrs. Ballantyne and Allan, of 
Glasgow. In the head of the large nave window is a beautiful allegorical 
representation of peaceful death. The outline of this design is taken 
chiefly from Thorwaldsen's celebrated bas-relief of "Night"; and con- 
sists of a winged female figure, asleep, and floating in the clouds, bearing 
in her arms two sleeping infants. In the centre of the large ornamental 
rose-window, which forms a conspicuous part of the front, is a painted de- 
sign, emblematic of immortality, consisting of two cherubs from Raphael's 
Madonna di San Sisto, gazing upwards, with their well-known expression 
of adoration and love, into what, in this instance, is a light or " glory," 
proceeding from beyond the picture. — The entire cost of the Chapel was 
about $25,000 ; nearly a third of which sum was obtained by subscription. 

In 1844, a channel six feet deep was dug from Forest Pond, in Mount 
Auburn, into Charles River. It is ascertained that there are within the 
inclosure of the Cemetery about eight acres of boggy, or inundated land. 
By the aid of the new channel, these acres can at any lime be drained, and 
the whole, or any part of them, raised by new earth so as to become of 
equal value with the rest of the Cemetery. The cost of this channel was 



FRESH POND. 



109 



about $ 3,000, including the perpetual right of drainage through the inter- 
vening estates. 

The improvements next contemplated are, 1. To erect a tower or ob- 
servatory on the top of the highest hill, from which a view may be ob- 
tained of the whole Cemetery, and of the surrounding country. 2. To 
drain and raise the low land within the inclosure, so as to make it availa- 
ble for Cemetery purposes. 3. To extend, improve, and adorn the avenues, 
walks, and watercourses, which the picturesque character of the place has 
rendered capable of almost indefinite improvement. 4. To reserve from 
the proceeds of sales a sufficient sum to constitute a permanent fund, the 
income of which may be for ever adequate to keeping the cemetery in 
good order, and its structures in proper repair. 

The present price of a lot is S 100 for 300 superficial square feet, (15 by 
20,) and in proportion for a larger lot ; with $21 additional for a deed, and 
the choice of location. It is not the intention of the Trustees to allow 
smaller lots to be laid out, but it necessarily happens, at times, that spots 
of land remain untaken which are less than the standard size. Where 
this is the case, such lots may be purchased at the same rate, and a pur- 
chaser is entitled to admission as a proprietor, though not a member of the 
Cemetery Corporation. The construction of tombs is not now allowed by 
the Trustees, upon any newly purchased lots, except those along the west- 
ern line of the cemetery. 

Each proprietor is entitled to receive from the Secretary one ticket of 
admission into the cemetery with a vehicle, under certain regulations, the 
violation of any of which, or the loan of the ticket, involves a forfeiture of 
the privilege. Strangers can receive, on application to any Trustee, or to 
the Secretary, a permit to enter with a carriage, on any day other than 
Sundays or holidays ; on which days no persons are admitted to the ceme- 
tery except proprietors and menabers of their household, or persons accom- 
panying them. The gates are opened at sunrise and closed at sunset. The 
gate-keeper is allowed to receive 'no money, except the price which may 
be affixed to the various guide-books, deposited with him for sale; some 
one of which is indispensable to the stranger, and. indeed, to any one wlio 
is not perfectly familiar with the intricacies of this Labyrinth of tlie Dead. 



FRESH POXD. 

This beautifiil sheet of water, in size more like a /aAe than a pond, is 
situated on the borders of Cambridge and Walertown, and distant from 
Boston about four miles. It lies directly north of IVIount Auburn, from 
which it is separated by a small tract of land, so that strangers visiting the 
Cemetery generally take the same opportunity for seeing Fresh Pond. Ii 
is, besides, a favorite resort of parties from Boston and Cambridge, who are 



no CAMBRIDGE. 



desirous of enjoying the sailing, fishing, &c., for which ample accommo- 
dations are afforded at the Fresh Pond Hotel, on the east side of the Pond. 

The water is remarkably clear and transparent, and the ice which it pro- 
duces is considered equal to any in the world. It is well worth a visit to 
the Pond in winter to see the wonderful apparatus of Mr. Wyeth for 
cutting blocks of ice of suitable size and shape, which are afterwards 
packed in his warehouse by steam machinery. Mr. W. has the largest ice- 
house in the world, and annually exports. The Pond itself is divided into 
lots, which are owned by different individuals in the vicinity, principally 
by Mr. Wyeth, by which each owner is entitled to the ice covering his 
lot. 

It is also a favorite resort of the University students, being a pleasant 
walk from the College buildings. In winter many agreeable parties are 
formed for enjoying the skating, which is unusually fine at this Pond. 

On the south and east shores the land is hilly and well cultivated, but 
on the other sides it is low and marshy, affording a capital place for gath- 
ering the celebrated " Pond Lilies," which are among the most beautiful 
(lowers in New England. 

Fresh Pond ice is now an article of every-day use by almost every family 
in Cambridge, Boston, and other towns. It may also be found among the 
luxuries of the West India Islands, South American ports, Mexican ports, 
and the East Indies, as well as Europe. 

In 1847, there was stored in the several ice-houses near Fresh Pond. 
86.700 tons ; at Spy Pond, 28,000 tons ; at Wenham Pond, 13,000 tons ; at 
Little Pond, Cambridge, 2,400 tons ; at Medford Pond, 4.000 tons ; at 
Eel Pond, Maiden, 2,000 tons ; at Horn Pond, Woburn, 4,000 tons ; at 
Summers Pond, 1,200 tons ; an aggregate of 141,300 tons. In the winter 
of 1850-51, Fresh Pond alone produced 86,000 tons of ice. 

The first shipment of ice was made by Frederic Tudor, Esq., (the Ice 
King.) in 1805, from a pond in Saugus. His shipment resulted in a loss of 
$4,500. In 1815, he made shipments of ice to Cuba; in 1817, to Charles- 
ton ; in 1818, to Savannah ; in 1820, to New Orleans ; and in 1833, the first 
shipment was made to the East Indies. In the year 1847, the export of ice 
from Boston alone Eimounted to 74,478 tons, — 51,887 of which was coast- 
wise, and 22,591 tons to foreign ports, — the average rate of freight was 
about $ 2.50 per ton, equal to $ 186,000. The export of ice is accompanied 
by exports of fruits, vegetables, and provisions to the West Indies, Calcut- 
ta, &c., which otherwise could not be made. Of these there were, in 1847, 
no less than twenty-nine cargoes. In Havana, ice sells at 6^ cents per 
pound, being a monopoly, while in New Orleans it sells at 1 cent per 
pound, and the annual consumption there is upwards of 30,000 tons. In 
Calcutta the consumption is about 3,000 tons, at 6 cents per pound ; Boston 
about 30,000 tons. 



WALTHAM, 

MIDDLESEX COUNTY. 

Waltham was formerly the West Parish of Walertown, until the yenr 
174S, when it became incorporated as a separate town. There la a railroad 
communication with Boston, ten miles distant, by means of the Fiichbure 
Railroad. The surface of the town is uneven, with numerous elevations, 
which afford beautiful sites for residences, farms, and gardens. Prospect 
Hill, within the limits of the town, is 482 feet above the level of the sea. 
and affords an extensive view of Boston, its harbor and islands, and of 
some few towns adjacent. The first cotton-mill upon an extensive scale, 
in this Commonwealth, was erected at Wadtham, In 1814. For many 
years the Waltham colton-milla enjoyed a high reputation for sheetings 
and shirtings. 

The comparative population of various towns described in this volume, 
for 1840 and 1850, was as follows : — 

1840. 1850. 

Cambridge, 8,127 14,82.'5 

Charlestown, .... . . 10,8?2 15,93-3 

Lowell, 20,9.81 32,620 

Waltham, 2,593 4.4^3 

Watertown, 1,896 2,.')92 

Roxbury, 8,310 18,31 fi 

Lynn 9,075 13,613 

Brookline, 1,123 2 353 

The first ministers settled in the town of Waltham were as follows : — 
Rev. Warham Williams, in 1723. Rev. Jacob Gushing, D. D., in 1752, and 
Rev. Samuel Ripley, in 1809. 

Waltham Plain is a beautiful tract of land, two and a half miles in 
length, aiKl one mile in breadth, containing many elegant dwellings and 
highly cultivated gardens. Among tHe latter is the well-known garden of 
the late Theodore Lyman, comprising several acres, and embelli.ihed by 
nearly all the varieties of fruit trees, shrubs, and flowers, both native and 
exotic. This garden is not probably exceeded in costliness and beauty by 
any private establishment of the kind in the United States. 

Waltham has of late years become the residence of many Boston mer 
chants, and may be considered one of the most desirable retreats fn>m the 
noise and bustle of the city. The common roads in the vicinity are re 
markahly good, ana the town is improving and increasing rapidly in popii 



112 



WALTHAM. 



latioii and wealth. The following cut represents a neat specimen of the 
rural architecture which prevails in the neighborhood of Boston. 




CHRIST CHURCH, WALTHAM. 

This Church was erected in 1849. It was designed by Mr. Billings, of 
Boston, and built by Mr. Gideon Johnson, of Waltham. It is a very neat 
Gothic structure, containing sittings for about 300 people. It is 76 feet 
long by 32 in width ; with a tower on one corner, and a vestry of the same 
style and finish in the rear. It is very pleasantly situated, in a spacious lot 
on Central street, and is one of the most beautiful rural Churches in the 
vicinity of Boston. The parish with which it is connected was organized 
a little more than two years since, under the ministry of the Rev. A. B. 
Patterson. Its present Rector is Rev. Thomas F. Fales. Although the 
services of the Protestant Episcopal Church had never been held in Wal- 
tham previous to the first Sunday in December. 1848, they are now quite 
fully attended, and the prospects of this young parish are full of promise. 



LIFE INSURANCE. 



ARTICLES UPON THE SUBJECT OF LIFE INSURANCE, CON- 
TAINED IN THE bankers' MAGAZINE AND STATISTICAL 
REGISTER. 



I. Recent Cases in the English Courts in reference to 
Life Insurance, — Construction of "Commit Suicide," — Premiums on 
Policies, — &c. 

II. Life Insurance, — Tables of Mortality, — Life Annui- 
ties, — Probahiliiies of Human Life. From the French of I\I. A. Qitete- 
LET. With the Belgium Tables of Mortality, Dr. Halley's Tables of 
Breslau, and the Netherlands Tables. 

III. Life Insurance, — Its Benefits, — Its Commencement, 

— Suicide of an Insurer, — Insurance oflnvalid Lives, — The Greshani. — 
The West Middlesex Delusion. By John Francis, Esq., Author of His- 
tory of the Bank of England. 

IV. Life Insurance. Review and Analysis of an His- 
torical and Staiislical Account of the Population, the Law of Mortality, 
and the different Systems of Life Insurance; inciudin? the Validity and 
non-Validity of Life Policies. With Observations on Friendly Sicieties 
anil Savings Banks, &c. By Alfred Burt, Esq., Secretary to a London 
Life Office. 

V. Tables adopted by St. Clement Danes Savings Bank 
Government Annuity Institution ; also, Comparative View of the E.xpec- 
talion of Life accordinir to the Northampton, Carli.^le, and Government 
Annuity Tables. From Gilbart's Practical Treatise on Banking. 

VI. Remarks on the Unfitness of Life Policies as a Se- 
curity for Loans. By James W. Gilbart, Esq., Manager of the London 
and Westminster Bank. 

VII. History of Bills of Mortalitv. By Joshua Milne. 

Esq.. Actuary to' the Sun Life Assurance Co. From the Encyclopedia 
Britannica. Seventh Edition. 

VIII. Remarks on the Law of Population and ^fortality 
as evidenced in the Health Reports of Baltimore, Md. By John 11 
Alexander, Esq. 

IX. Remarks on Life Insurance. By Robert Cham- 
bers, Esq., of Edinburgh. 

X. Principles of Life Insurance, — Mutual and Proprie- 
tary Systems. From Chnmhprs's Edinburgh Juurnnl. 



liife Insurance. 



XI. Remarks of the London Spectator on the Eighth An- 
nual Report of the Registrar General, — On the Defects in the Practice 
of Life Insurance, and Suggestions for their Remedy. By Alexander 
Robertson. And Burt's Historical and Statistical Account of Popula- 
tion and the Law of Mortality. 

XII. Life Insurance, — Its Advantages to the Working 
Classes ; a Lecture delivered to the Mechanics' Institute and Library 
Association of Quebec. By the Rev. Dr. Cook. 

XIII. On the Moral Duty of Life Insurance. From 

Chambers's Edinburgh Journal. 

XIV. The Law of Life Insurance. Fourteen Cases in 
the English Courts. 1. Concealment of facts. 2. Misrepresentation of 
Medical referee. 3. Residence of the assured party. 4. Misrepresenta- 
tion affects the interest of third parties. 5. Agency. 6. Verbal misrep- 
resentation. 7. Concealment of immaterial facts vitiates a policy. 8. 
What is to be considered " a disorder tending to shorten life." 9. Epi- 
lepsy. 10. Unintentional concealment of material facts. 11. False state- 
ment by a wife not to prejudice a claim on a Company by the husband. 
12. Unintentional misrepresentation. 13. Insurable . Interest. 14. Re- 
fusal to pay policy on the ground of fraud. 

XV. Principles of Life Insurance, — Rate and Tables of 
Mortality, — Rate of Interest. Examples of Life Insurance Calculation, 
— Formation of Rates, — Moral Duty of Life Insurance. From Cham- 
bers's InJ'ormation for the People. 

XVI. The Law of the State of New York, passed April, 
1851, " in relation to all Companies transacting the business of Life In- 
surance within this Stale." 

XVII. Four important Cases before the English Courts 

upon Life Insurance, viz. : — 

1. Misrepresentation of facts, in answer to parol inquiries at time of 
effecting insurance, an avoidance of the policy. 

2. Bankruptcy of insured, no defence in an action to recover subse- 
quent premium paid by assignee of policy. 

3. Construction of words importing disease. 

4. Declaration as to habits of the insured, material, though shown not 
to have affected the risk. 

XVIII. Extracts from Report of a General Plan for the 

Promotion of Public and Personal Health, devised, prepared, and recom- 
mended by Lemuel Shattuck of Boston, Nathaniel P. Banks, and 
Jehiel Abbott, a Board of Commissioners appointed under a Resolve of 
the Legislature of Massachusetts relating to a Sanitary Survey of the 
State, 1850. 

VC^The Bankers' Magazine will contain all new cases in Life 
Insurance. 

Published Monthly, Five Dollars per annum. J. Smith Homans, 
Boslon. 



A. PARTKIDGE & CO., 

IMPORTERS AND JOBBERS OF 

RICH MILLINERY GOODS, 

No. 201 Wffthington Street, 

BOSTON. 



►•♦♦-•■ — 



WE would respectfully inform the public that we are constantly re- 
ceiving New and Desirable Goods, and have at all times a superior 
stock of RIBBONS, FRENCH AND AMERICAN FLOWERS, STRAW 
BONNETS, Silk, Velvet and every variety of DRESS HATS for Ladies, 
and a full assortment of MILLINERY ARTICLES, which we offer on 
the most reasonable terms, at Wholesale or Retail. 

ADIN PARTRIDGE, 

EDSON E. PLIMITON. 
Boston, September, 1851. 




^■'S:^ WHOLESALE ^RUML "^ ^^ 

'^^^VlSHINGTACKLE STORE 

42.WASHmGT0N SI 

So STON- 






MARTIN L. BRADFORD, 



IMPORTER OP 



IW 



iifllif ill !K.ARB 

142 WASHINGTON STREET, BOSTON. 

Three doors north of the Old South Church, 



*! 



-♦-♦- 



M. L. B. is Agent for Leonard & Wendt's Patent Tailors' Shears, 
and Barbers', Paper Hangers', Hatters', Bankers' and Liidies' Scissors, 
which received the first premium (a silver medal) at the Massachusetts 
Fau- of 1850. 



UNION BELT AND HOSE COMPANY 

Have on hand, and are constantly Manufacturing, 

Superior Leather Belting and Fire Engine Hose, 

FROM THE BEST PHILADELPHIA OAK-TANNED LEATHER. 

Only place in Boston where the Company's Belting and Hose can be 

bought is at 

SHELTON & CHEEVER'S, 
No* 7 Washington St., and 5S Brattle St*; Boston^ 

Fourth door from Dock Square. 

ALSO, FOR SALE, 

LACE LEATHER, PICKER DO.; GRIDLEY'S BELT AND TOP 
ROLLER CEMENT ; BELT RIVETS 5 BELT STRETCHERS ; 
SCARFING MACHINE ; LACE-CUTTING MA- 
CHINE, &c. &c. 



Also, Manufacturers of 

Saddles, Bridles, Whips ; Chaise, Stage, and Draft Collars ; Fire 
Buckets, Trunks, Valises, Carpet Bags, Hobby Horses, &c. 



O" AU orders sent to Shelton & Cheever will be promptly attended to. 



WENTWORTH & CHANDLER, 

Manufacturers and Dealers in 

SOAP STONE, 

NO. 15 HAWLEY STREET, (NEAR MILK,) 



■W. H. WENTWORTH, 
N. B. CHANDLER. 



-♦-^■♦- 



SOAP STONE IN BLOCKS AND SLABS; SINKS, WASH AND 
BATHING TUBS, OP SOAP STONE; REGISTERS AND | 

FUNNEL STONES ; GRIDDLES ; AND 

SOAP STONE STOVES AND FIRE PLACES, 

(new patterns) ; also, 

Soap Stone Dust, and every description op Soap Stone Work, 

constantly on hand or furnished to order at short notice. 



JOHN PORTER, 

SUCCESSOR AXD SOLE MAXrFACTrKER OF- 

H. PORTER'S PATENT 

COMPOSITION BURNING FLUID; 

ALSO, MANXFACTURER OF AND DEALER IN 

Fluid Chandeliers, Astrals, Bracket, Mantle, Hang- 
ing and Side Lamps; 

PORTABLE AND STUDY LAMPS OF EVERY KIND ; PATENT, 
ORIENTAL, AND SIDE CAMPHENE LAMPS ; 

Together with a large variety of 

CHINA, TERRA COTTA, AND RICH CUT BOHEMIAN VASES, 

CHIMNEYS, GLOBES, SHADES, HALL LANTERNS, GLASS 

DROPS, OR PRISMS, WICKS, TIN CANS, &c. &c. 

Wholesale and Retail. 

Nos. 8 & 9 TREMONT ROW, BOSTON, 

Opposite the Head of Hanover Street. 




BARKER & SMITH, 
FURNITURE STORE, 

Nos. 17, 19 & 21 Bromfield St., Boston. 



w 



E wish to assure our readers that this concern is one of no inferior 
nor ordinary kind, but convince them of its continued good chariic- ; 
,<1 excellent staiulinff. The Furniture they manufacture is renownied 1 



tcr and excellent standing. The Furniture they 
for its durability and elegance. The extent and variety of their stock is 
unsurpassed in New England. Housekeepers shoulil not overl<M)k the ; 
advantages of calUng at a first-class warehouse, where they can obuin 
the best selection of Furniture, &c., at moderate prices, and have their 
goods warranted. ' 



SUFFOLK COUNTY 

STEAM FLOUK MILLS. 

Eastern Rail Road Wharf, Commercial St. 




INCORPORATED 1848. 

Capital Stock, $150,000. 

CAPACITY OE MILLS, SIX HUNDRED BBLS. FLOUR DAILY. 



Family and Baker*3 Flour, of all gravies, constantly on hand, fresh 
ground, in barrels, half barrels, quarter and eighth barrels. 



THOMAS n. DUNHAM, 

No. 30 INDIA STREET, BOSTON, 

MANTFACTTRER A><D DEALER IN 

CORDAGE, TWINE, LINES, SHOE THREAD, 
BALE ROPE, &c. 

ALSO, 

JUTE, FLAX, MANILLA, AND OTHER 

HEMP; 

RUSSIA AND FLAX YARNS ; PACKING ; COTTON LINES AND 

TWINE ; COTTON AND HEMP SEINE TWINE 5 BALING, 

BROOM AND WOOL TWINE ; FISHING LINES ; 

MANILLA, RUSSIA AND AMERICAN HEMP ROPE 5 LATHE 

YARNS, &c. &c., 

At Lowest Cash Prices. 

ilUri IHi SfilN&THi 



DR. S. 0. RICHARDSON^S 
SHERRY WINE BITTERS. 

ESTABLISHED IN 1808. 
! A VEGETABLE UNIVERSAL MEDICINE. 

THE MOST AGREEABLE AND INFALLIBLE UKMKOY FOR ALL 
DISEASES OF THE STOMACH, LIVKK, OR HOWELS. It puri- 
1 fies the Blood, strengthens the System, and fjives Life and Elasticity to 
i the Body. It is more wholesome and more effectual than any other medi- 
cine in the world. 

i All Bitters prepared by me have a fac simile of my signature on the 
outer envelope, to counterfeit which is forgery. 

For sale, 'VNTiolesale and Retail, at the 

Doctor's Principal Office, 19 Hanover St., Boston, 

j and by Agents, Merchants, Traders, Druggists, Apothecaries, and Deal- 
ers in Medicines throughout the United States. 

1 Price 75 Cents a Bottle. 50 Cest3 a Paper. 



MAYNARD & NOYES' BLACK WRITING INK. 

THIS INK has stood the test of thirty years' experience, and during 
this time has been constantly increasing in public favor and patronage, 
and is now the leading article in the countiy. It tlows with freedom, 

BECOMES permanently BLACK, DOES*>OT MOULD UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, 

and is adapted to either metallic or quill pens. , 

OtBce of Merchants' Insurance Co., Boston, Nov. 18, 1848. 
Messrs. JfajTiard & Noyes : I have used your Writing Ink for the last 
sixteen years. In 1840 I gave you a certificate of its excellence, and having 
continued its use ever since, to my entire satisfaction, my opinion is con- 
firmed in its superiority. It flows freely from the pen, and is in all re- 
spects THE best ink I HAVE EVER USED. The Other offlcers in the institution 
agree with me in the opinion here expressed. GEORGE HOMER, Sec. 

Boston, May 27, 1816. 
For twenty years past I have had occasion to use ink daily, and sometimes 
for the nicest of penmanship. Occasionally necessity or curiosity has led 
me to make use of the article made by different individuals ; but I can 

CHEERFULLY STATE THAT I HAVE NEVER FOUND ANY THAT COMBINED SO MANY 

GOOD QUALITIES US that made by Maynard & Xoyes. 

N. D. GOULD, Teacher of Penmanship. 

Registry Deeds, Boston, Nov. 20, 1847. 
Messrs. Maynard & Noyes : I have made use of your Writing Ink for 
the recording of deeds, &c,, the past twenty-five years, and having found 
it to suit my wishes and purposes entirely, take pleasure in renewing my 
testimonial of its superiority. From the appearance of the records in my 
office, 1 am satisfied it is superior to any I have used, and consider it par- 
ticularly adapted for all purposes where permanency of color is requisite 

OR desirable. It flows well from the pen, AND DOES NOT WOULD ; AND 
MY OLDEST RECORDS PROVE ITS COLOR TO BE UNALTERABLY BLACK. 

H. ALLINE, Register of Deeds. 

Boston, Jan. 10, 1848. 
Messrs. Maynard & Noyes : Gentlemen, — It is now, I believe, more than 
twenty years since the School Committee passed an order for using yuur 
Black Writing Ink in the city schools. I have used it during that period, 
and deem it a first-rate article, and cheerfully recommend it to others. 
It flows freely from the pen, and increases in blackness after being com- 
mitted to paper, and the color is durable. I know of no ink equal to yours, 
and I have tried many kinds, both English and American. 

P. MACKINTOSH, Jr., Principal of Writing Dep., Hancock School. 

Boston, Oct. 1.5, 1849. 
Messrs. Maynard & Noyes: Gentlemen, — Tour note of the lOth inst. 
asking us to state the length of time we had used your Writing Ink, ami 
our opinion of its quality, was duly received. We have made use of it gen- 
erally for the last twenty years, and have found it always of satisfactory 
quality, being free from those objectionable points so troublesome and com- 
mon in writing liciuids generally. Wishing for it a still more extended sale, 
we are, gentlemen, Your ob't serv'ts, J. M. BEBEE & Co. 

Post Office, Boston, Oct. 2, 1643. 
The Black Writing Ink manufactured by Messrs. Maynard & Noyes has 
been used in this oflice for several years past. Other inks have, during tiiat 
thue, been tested, but theirs have been in every instance preferred. For 
fluidity, blackness, and permanency, the three important requisites, I 

none has BEEN FOUND EQUAL TO IT. GEO. W. GORDON, P. M. j 

COPYING INK. 

This Ink gives a copy as distinct and perfect as the original, and combines 
all the properties of our Writing Ink. This quality particularly adapts it 
for counting-house use, as it answers all the purposes for which a writing 
liquid is wanted. 

For sale. Wholesale and Retail, by the Manufacturers, 11 Merchants' 
Row, and Stationers and Booksellers generally in the city and States. 






SKE 



~- !,'£;, 



OF 




z/^:^ 



O N, 



PAST AND PRESENT, 



AND 



OF SOME FEW PLACES IN 



ITS VICINITY. 



" Honor to the Pa»t, Gratiiude for the Present, and Fidelity to the Future." 



With, one hundred &> Twenty Engravingg. 



BOSTON 

PHILLIPS, SAMPSON, AND COMPANY. 

CROSBY AND NICHOLS. 

18 5 1. 



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